A new generation of employees is reshaping the workplace by prioritizing life outside of work over climbing the corporate ladder. Recent studies show that increasingly high-performing employees are turning down promotions to managerial positions to maintain a better work-life balance.
While past generations valued career advancement and financial gain above all else, many of today’s top talent opt out of the management track to avoid increased responsibility and longer work hours. This trend highlights a shift in priorities and values, transforming businesses and redefining success.
The Declining Appeal of Management Roles
Trust in leadership has eroded in recent years. Only 21% of workers report strong trust in their company’s leadership. This lack of faith in management can discourage employees from pursuing leadership positions.
Individual contributors have gained more prestige and status. Like software engineers, talented employees can advance their careers and achieve high compensation without managing people. For these employees, the stresses of management may not seem worth the rewards.
Increased Responsibilities with Limited Resources
Managers today face increasing responsibilities with limited resources. According to surveys, 40% of employees say their biggest concern with becoming a manager is the associated stress and long hours. Meanwhile, companies struggle with disruptions from AI and automation, requiring strong leadership.
Companies must provide managers with technology to handle their responsibilities efficiently to fill the “missing middle” of management and make the role appealing again.
Employees Value Work-Life Balance Over Management Roles
Recent surveys show that employees today highly value a positive work-life balance and flexibility over climbing the corporate ladder into management roles. According to a 2023 survey of 1,000 U.S. employees, 55% said a positive work-life balance is the top quality they look for in a workplace.
These changing priorities pose succession planning challenges for organizations. The survey found that only 9% of respondents said becoming a people manager was a top ambition, while 12% said nothing would convince them to become a manager.
Autonomy Beats Compensation and Benefits
While compensation and benefits remain important motivators, employees today seek more autonomy and flexibility in how and where they work. Forty-one percent of respondents said flexible work arrangements were a key workplace quality, and 20% specified the ability to always log off on time.
The researchers conclude that businesses must adapt to meet the needs of today’s employees if they want to ensure a steady leadership pipeline. Simply put, the traditional corporate ladder model is broken.
The Work Is Not Worth the Stress
While some employees aspire to climb the corporate ladder into leadership roles, many individual contributors have no desire to become managers. There are several reasons why these employees prefer to remain in their current positions rather than take on managerial responsibilities.
One of the primary reasons individual contributors avoid management is the expectation of increased stress and longer work hours. Managers typically have greater demands on their time and heavier workloads, often staying late into the evening and working weekends to complete tasks.
How Much They Bring to The Table
Individual contributors are also frequently satisfied and content in their current positions. They enjoy their work and level of responsibility and do not wish for major changes. Becoming a manager would require taking on a completely different set of job duties and accountabilities, which these employees do not find appealing or interesting.
Some individual contributors lack confidence in their leadership abilities and are not equipped to effectively manage teams and direct reports. The managerial role requires strong, soft skills and the capability to motivate, guide, and develop other employees.
Personal Commitments Outweigh the Workload
Personal commitments and priorities outside work are another reason individual contributors avoid pursuing management opportunities. These employees value life experiences, hobbies, and relationships that demand a significant amount of their time.
While management can be a rewarding career path for some, many individual contributors prefer to remain in their current positions. Organizations should value individual contributors and provide alternative career development opportunities beyond the traditional management track.
Providing Support and Training for Aspiring Leaders
To encourage employees to become people managers and fill leadership roles, organizations must provide the necessary support and training. The survey data shows employees value work-life balance and flexibility over career advancement.
According to research, only 9% of respondents listed becoming a people manager as a top ambition. However, with training and support, employees may gain the confidence and skills to take on managerial responsibilities.
Employers Should Consider a Cohesive Life-Work Balance
Organizations should examine how to make management roles more appealing and flexible. As 29% of respondents value work-life balance, offering hybrid work schedules or generous paid time off policies for managers may attract more candidates.
To address the looming succession problem, organizations must take action to fill their leadership pipeline. By providing support, incentives, and development opportunities for aspiring leaders, organizations can tap into employees’ hidden ambitions and groom them for management roles.
Aligning Benefits to Employee Priorities
As companies aim to fill leadership roles and ensure a pipeline of high-potential talent, they must understand what motivates employees and align benefits accordingly. According to a 2023 survey of 1,000 individual contributors in the U.S., better compensation and benefits are the top incentives for employees to become people managers.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said improved pay would motivate them to take on managerial responsibilities. Almost half, 45%, indicated that enhanced benefits, such as healthcare, retirement plans, and paid time off, would incentivize them to advance into leadership roles.
Work Should Never Encroach on Personal Lives
While compensation and benefits are significant motivators, over half of the survey respondents, 55%, said that achieving a positive work-life balance is important when evaluating job opportunities.
Many employees today do not want work responsibilities and demands that encroach upon their personal lives and leisure activities. Organizations aiming to develop future leaders must consider options like flexible work schedules, remote work policies, and limiting after-hours connectivity expectations.
Adapting to Meet Employees Where They’re At
Organizations must examine their values and priorities to adapt to meet employees where they are at. Recent surveys show that many employees today do not aspire to become people managers or climb the corporate ladder. Instead, they value life outside work, desiring flexibility, work-life balance, and time with loved ones.
As shown in a 2023 survey of 1,000 U.S.-based full-time employees, over two-thirds of respondents reported that their top ambitions were spending time with family and friends, being physically and mentally healthy, and traveling.
Flexibility To Bridge the Gap
Companies should make management roles more appealing and sustainable to address the shortage of aspiring managers. They can do this by providing managers more autonomy and resources to fulfill their responsibilities, reducing administrative burdens, and offering opportunities for career growth beyond management.
Filling leadership gaps is crucial as companies navigate disruptions from technology and a tight labor market. Organizations can build a robust pipeline of future leaders by understanding why management has lost its luster and taking steps to remedy it.
Player-Coach Approach
Strong leadership is increasingly critical as companies face disruptions from artificial intelligence, automation, and a competitive job market. However, qualified managers are difficult to find as the demands of the role often outweigh the benefits for many.
Some organizations have adopted the concept of player coaches: employees who continue contributing individually while leading small teams of trusted colleagues. Though balancing the two roles can be challenging, it allows for ongoing engagement in one’s field of work and developing management skills.
A Focus on Providing Managers with Tech Assistance
It is equally important to provide managers with tools and technology to handle their increased responsibilities efficiently. Solutions that streamline performance management, compensation planning, goal-setting, and other processes diminish the administrative burden on managers while enabling them to oversee larger teams.
With a reimagined role definition, appropriate recognition and rewards, empowering tools, and a supportive work environment, companies can make management an appealing career choice once again. A robust leadership pipeline will help organizations navigate disruptions, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable success.
Rethinking the Manager’s Role and Responsibilities
Companies must rethink the manager’s role and responsibilities to fill the management gap. Traditionally, managers have been primarily focused on overseeing employees and ensuring key performance indicators are met.
According to surveys, most employees do not aspire to become managers due to the increased stress, long hours, and lack of work-life balance associated with the role. To address this issue, companies should reframe the manager’s role to be more flexible and appealing.
Making Management More Fulfilling and Rewarding
Making management more fulfilling and rewarding is crucial for companies looking to develop strong leaders and fill leadership gaps. By redefining what it means to be a manager and providing better tools and resources, organizations can make the role more appealing and help managers handle increasing responsibilities.
Leadership roles have evolved to keep up with modern work environments and employee expectations. The player-coach model, where managers continue contributing as individuals while leading small teams, allows employees to stay engaged while developing leadership skills.
There is More to Life
While upward mobility in one’s career is often seen as a sign of success and achievement, the reality is that not all ambitious employees desire leadership and management positions. For many, work-life balance and job satisfaction are far more important than career progression and higher pay.
As companies seek to retain top talent and support the well-being and productivity of their workforce, they would do well to recognize that career advancement is not for everyone.
