Overstretched & underequipped: The middle manager disconnect

The role of a middle manager is multi-faceted in the vast majority of organisations. Often a balancing act between reporting to senior leadership and stakeholders, handling budgets, strategies and working towards business KPIs, and supporting more junior employees within a team. It’s perhaps no surprise that as many as 72% of managers report feeling overwhelmed by how much their responsibilities have grown, with 82% of HR leaders saying managers aren’t equipped to lead change.

Drowning in admin

For many managers, a large (and perhaps underestimated) part of the job is simply admin and dealing with manual processes.

UK workers report spending 31% of their week on admin and other non-core work, the highest of six European countries surveyed. That equates to around 15 hours of time per week spent on admin tasks rather than work that delivers direct value or progresses business objectives.

It’s such a problem that some employees (15%) have even considered leaving a role altogether. And yet, much of it is avoidable. The issues cited most often include managing crowded inboxes, searching for files on shared drives, inputting the same information into multiple systems, and manually updating reports.

Give us the tools…

Aside from a heavy admin burden, managers may also experience frustrations from cumbersome, not-fit-for-purpose or simply non-existent systems and software to help with their responsibilities.

Whether it’s learning portals, performance development, absence and leave management, onboarding or scheduling – there is a plethora of software systems out there designed to speed up, optimise, and alleviate the otherwise manual nature of a lot of these tasks.

And even though 44% of decision makers feel that automating repetitive tasks would have the biggest impact on tackling excessive admin, it seems that successful deployment of appropriate systems and software is often lacking.

A gap in education and training also persists among managers. Only 29% of organisations train managers to support staff with mental ill health, and 43% train them to manage stress. With the UK sickness absence rate standing at 2% in 2025, and a high number of people (32.7%) currently out of work due to long-term sickness, it’s easy to see why managers need to be equipped with the right skills to effectively support their team members through mental health conversations and return to work processes.

How can organisations support their middle managers?

Effective support for people managers will look different depending on your organisation, the nature of your industry and work, and the workforce challenges facing.

Despite that, there are a few key things that every organisation can have in place, to empower managers to carry out their roles in the best way possible. These include:

Removing the manual burden

By adopting the right systems and software, organisations can alleviate many of the manual processes that managers face. Whether it’s workforce management software or leave management software, having a system packed with useful tools can make day-to-day tasks like managing employee absence, schedules, projects, and holiday booking so much more efficient.

Ensuring systems are implemented properly

It’s all well and good purchasing technology and software thinking it will solve problems overnight, but if it’s implemented poorly, it becomes another resource drain. Ensure software systems are set up correctly from the get-go, with adequate training provided so that everyone can get on-board smoothly.

Redefining expectations

It is worth reviewing roles periodically, of both employees and their managers, to ensure essential tasks are not slipping, even out workloads, and give people the opportunity for professional development.

Providing training and learning opportunities

Learning and professional development is not just for employees – it should be for managers and leaders too. 82% of people who move into manager roles get no formal management training.

Prioritising health and wellbeing

If your workplace expectations lead towards “always-on” and are measured by time spent IN work rather than by productivity OUTput, you may be breeding a culture of stress, resentment, and disengagement.

Encouraging open conversations about mental (and physical) health creates a supportive environment where people feel they are treated fairly, and with compassion. Removing barriers or stigma around taking sickness absence or booking leave, and adding in a level of flexibility where possible for things like childcare, all go a long way in ensuring that people get the down-time they need to rest and return to work more productive, focused and engaged.