Why Managers Are an Endangered Species: Two-Thirds of Employees Decline Promotions

The traditional aspiration of climbing the corporate ladder is losing its appeal, with a significant majority of employees now hesitant to accept managerial positions. A study in the UK surveyed 5,000 employees, revealing that a mere 15% of those not in leadership roles find the prospect of becoming a manager attractive. Conversely, nearly two-thirds explicitly stated they do not desire such a role.

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Rolul de manager a devenit disfuncțional. Iar companiile au ajuns aici după ani în care au adăugat tot mai multe responsabilități și cerințe, fără să regândească modul în care acest rol poate aduce cea mai mare valoare organizației.

This trend challenges the long-held notion of promotion to management as a career pinnacle. Experts suggest that the modern managerial role has become increasingly burdensome. "The manager's role has become dysfunctional," explains Jack Evans, director of client services at Ipsos Karian and Box, in comments to People Management. He attributes this to years of accumulating responsibilities and demands without a corresponding re-evaluation of how the role can best serve the organization.

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Se așteaptă de obicei de la manageri câteva lucruri în momentul în care sunt promovați. În primul rând să cunoască bine activitatea, ceea ce de multe ori îi ține într-o capcană a expertului și face ulterior dificilă delegarea anumitor sarcini, deci cresc nivelul de încărcare pentru respectivul manager.

Madi Rădulescu, a Master Certified Coach, elaborates on the pressures faced by new managers. She notes that they are often expected to possess deep operational knowledge, which can trap them in an "expert" mindset, hindering their ability to delegate effectively and increasing their workload. Furthermore, managers are anticipated to demonstrate exceptional resilience, capable of enduring prolonged periods of intense pressure and recovering quickly from fatigue.

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Un al treilea lucru care se așteaptă în momentul promovării de la un manager este capacitatea acestuia de a lucra cu ierarhia de la vârful organizației, de a fi capabil să prezinte informații și date într-un format și nivel de detaliu relevant vârfului organizației, ceea ce multora li se pare ceva foarte provocator și abstract.

Beyond operational demands, managers must navigate complex relationships with senior leadership. Rădulescu highlights the challenge of effectively communicating information and data to top executives in a relevant format and detail, a task many find abstract and daunting. Online discussions, such as those on Reddit, echo these sentiments, with many employees citing the loss of work-life balance as a primary reason for refusing promotions. One widely shared post detailed a decade-long career culminating in the realization that leading people was not a desired outcome, with the author observing their manager's daily struggles and concluding, "Thanks, but I don't want his job."

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Mă uit la ce are de gestionat managerul meu în fiecare zi și-mi spun așa: mulțumesc lui Dumnezeu, dar nu vreau jobul lui.