Unhappy Managers Are Quietly Breaking Your Business

Forbes

04-08-2025

The Wall Street Journal reports that managers are more miserable at work than ever, which doesn't bode well in terms of how their direct reports are feeling. This isn't just a U.S. problem. Employees around the world are feeling less happy about work than they have in years, with managers reporting the sharpest declines.
According to Gallup's annual State of the Global Workplace report, the percentage of employees who report feeling engaged about their work fell to 21% last year from 23% the year prior. This was only the second time global engagement fell, with the first time occurring during the COVID crisis.
The decline was especially extreme among managers. A mere 27% reported feeling engaged at work in 2024, a 3-point drop from the year before, with younger managers and female managers experiencing big declines.
These numbers are disconcerting for a number of reasons.
The Future of Management
A recent study by Robert Walters found that over half of Gen Z workers do not want to take on a middle management role in their career. With talent pipelines shrinking and succession planning growing more complicated, it's essential for businesses to grasp why people, (especially younger workers) are steering clear of leadership roles—and how to encourage their engagement.
Why Disengagement is So Low
Imagine walking into the office only to find out that your manager (and many of their peers) have just been laid off? Millions of workers don't have to imagine this, as this is their reality.
CEOs are bragging about smaller workforces and touting how they're leaving jobs unfilled, which is leaving managers to pick up the slack. As tomorrow's potential leaders watch this shift taking place, they're deciding the job is not worth the stress these managers are experiencing.
Another reason for the decline in engagement is the number of people working for managers who haven't a clue how to manage. According to Jim Harter, chief scientist, workplace at Gallup, only 44% of managers ever had training to be a manager. So half have never even received any type of training, despite the many workplace changes happening around them.
According to Harter, 'If you want to improve engagement of managers, training needs to focus on helping them form habits such as keeping in regular touch with the people they manage and asking them questions like, 'What kind of challenges are you facing in your job?''
He goes on to say, 'We did 17 studies of this kind of training during and after the pandemic with almost 15,000 participants and found the managers who received it were anywhere from 10% to 22% more highly engaged in their work.'
Where Do We Go from Here?
Leadership doesn't get a pass. When managers are disengaged, it's only a matter of time before everyone checks out. The data is clear: Engagement is plummeting, especially among those we count on to inspire teams—managers themselves. This isn't a slow leak; it's a gusher, and CEOs who brag about leaner headcounts while their leaders burn out aren't just risking talent, they're inviting an exodus.
Yet here's the real kicker: We already know the fix. It's not another engagement survey. It's not more pizza parties or anonymous suggestion boxes. It's managers who know how to lead.
People don't work for companies. They work for people. You can turn this engagement crisis around by investing in real leadership. What are you waiting for? Get started today.