For years, burnout was discussed mainly as an employee problem. Now the spotlight is shifting upward. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 reports that manager engagement fell from 30% to 27%, while engagement among individual contributors stayed flat at 18%. The same report says managers also saw sharper declines in wellbeing, with especially steep drops among older managers and women managers. In other words, the people expected to keep teams motivated are increasingly the ones running on empty. (gallup.com)
Why is this happening? One reason is that modern managers are trapped in the middle. Gartner says 75% of CHROs believe managers are overwhelmed by rising responsibilities, and another Gartner summary argues that managers now carry 51% more work than they can realistically handle. They are expected to coach employees, deliver results, manage conflict, explain strategy from above, and absorb anxiety from below. Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index adds another layer: 53% of leaders say productivity must rise, yet 80% of the global workforce say they lack the time or energy to do their jobs. The same report found workers are interrupted 275 times a day by meetings, emails, or chats, and 51% of managers think AI training and upskilling will become a key responsibility for their teams within five years. Management, then, is no longer just about people; it is also about navigating nonstop digital noise and technological change. (gartner.com)
The danger is not only personal exhaustion but organizational damage. DDI’s 2025 Global Leadership Forecast, based on 10,796 leaders worldwide, found that 71% had experienced significantly higher stress since taking their current role, and nearly one in six leaders were already facing burnout. Burned-out leaders were 3.5 times more likely to consider leaving for the sake of their wellbeing, and they were far less likely to see themselves as effective. Gallup similarly warns that manager burnout can lead to weaker performance, more absenteeism, and higher turnover. The lesson is clear: if companies want healthy teams, they cannot treat managers as an endless source of emotional and operational support. Even the boss may need saving. (ddiworld.com)
