Why we’re 'consciously unbossing'—and what that means for our careers

Employers the world over cannot deny the impact that Gen Z is having in the workplace. From ‘quiet quitting’ to having carefully created ‘work personas’, the younger generation is paving the way for a completely restructured—and potentially more equitable—working environment.

The latest workplace culture that Gen Z is pioneering? ‘Conscious unbossing’. Perhaps a distant cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow’s now infamous ‘consciously uncoupling’ statement, announcing her separation from Coldplay's Chris Martin, this turn of phrase is being used to describe why younger employers are choosing to eschew middle-management roles.

Research from recruitment company Robert Walters has found that more than half of Gen Z workers (52 per cent) don’t want to be middle managers—with 16 per cent refusing to ever take on a role that involves having direct line reports. When further probed about why middle-management roles don’t appeal, workers pointed to stagnating wages and little trade-off; 69 per cent of Gen Z recipients said that middle management is “too high stress, low reward”.

“Gen Z value better work-life balance and autonomy, and therefore prefer a more individualised route to progression,” explains Lucy Bisset, a director at Robert Walters. “Over time, management positions have developed a reputation of being high stress and demanding—prompting a reluctance among Gen Z to take up middle management positions.

“Despite being in the workplace for the least amount of time, Gen Z professionals have become notorious for being vocal about their expectations of work. They tend to place a greater emphasis on doing work that highlights their individual flair.”

Moving to middle-management roles, where you are expected to oversee the work of more junior team members, may also detract from the aspects of your job you like the most. “Rather than climbing the corporate ladder, many young people are opting to remain in roles where they feel connected to meaningful work and maintain control over their mental health,” explains Smriti Joshi, a chief psychologist at mental health support specialists Wysa. “For example, a young interior designer who loves her creative work might consciously decide not to take on a managerial role because she knows it will pull her away from what she enjoys.”

A reluctance to seek these middle-management roles may also be due to some younger employees having been subject to poor management themselves. Research carried out by the Chartered Management Institute last year found that one third of British workers have quit jobs because of mismanagement or poor bosses.

“Middle management is often seen as a challenging position, caught between the pressures of senior leadership and the demands of frontline employees,” Bisset adds. “Gen Z professionals have been potential witnesses to their own parents or older siblings experiencing workplace burnout or stress due to management, and may not want to follow that route.”

She adds that more effective training is needed to encourage younger employees to have confidence in their ability to lead teams. “Further research from Robert Walters highlighted another key issue with management in the UK—that three-fifths of UK managers haven’t received any formal training,” she says. “If managers aren’t trained appropriately, they won’t have the effective tools in their repertoire to either manage successfully or develop themselves. So, employers can start by offering effective training, both in technical leadership and soft skills such as empathy and communication.”

There are other ways to make these less popular roles seem appealing too; Bisset advocates for companies offering more beyond just a salary increase. “Middle management is often burdened with high workloads and stress,” she says. Improving work-life balance through reasonable work expectations, flexible working conditions, and stress-management resources can make the role more attractive.

“Many professionals who go into middle management may end up feeling stuck in the role, due to having less opportunity to build their own skillsets because of their managerial demands,” adds Bisset. “Employers developing a framework that allows managers to take a more hands-off, facilitator approach to managing will free up more time for them to focus on their own personal work goals.”

What impact would a shortage of middle managers have on our career structures in the long term? While conscious unbossing is still a relatively new phenomenon, Bisset argues that we may see more senior staff forced to absorb the responsibilities previously delegated to middle management roles.

“Without a steady influx of younger talent willing to take on these roles, companies may struggle to identify and prepare future executives,” she says. “As younger employees resist traditional middle-management roles, companies will need to experiment with non-hierarchical or project-based leadership structures.

“Gen Z numbers in the workplace will only grow and, as we learnt from the pandemic and the almost overnight switch to remote-working, those businesses that are quick to pivot in the face of change will prove the most resilient.”

As a consequence, we may therefore see flatter organisational structures – similar to those used in start-ups – becoming increasingly commonplace. Middle-management could start to look different, with career progression focusing on individual skills as opposed to leading teams.

“We could see managers taking less of a ‘delegatory’ role and instead motivating their teams to take more initiative,” Bisset says. “More emphasis could be placed on brainstorming and knowledge-sharing between managers and teams.

“The most successful organisations will always have alternate routes to progression. Another area highlighted by the trend is that not everyone is cut out for management – and nor should they be. Professionals all come with different skillsets and this variety is what drives innovation forward. As such, there should be different progression opportunities to cater for all.”

While Gen Z may be the employees leading the way when it comes to changing structural frameworks, older generations are starting to follow suit. With 91% of UK adults experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure in the past year, burnout is increasingly common – leading people of all ages to reconsider what they really want from their careers.

“Creating opportunities for open dialogue, where employees can express their fears or concerns about management roles, can also help organisations address the root causes of reluctance,” says Joshi. “This can help reach solutions that make everyone feel more comfortable.”

Lead image: IMDB

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