Coping with demoralised middle managers during the pandemic

Middle managers are bearing the brunt of work during the pandemic.

They attend more virtual meetings, in order to communicate top management’s decisions to their subordinates. They ensure that ground operations can continue smoothly in compliance with the changing regulations. They motivate their employees, at a time when they may feel overwhelmed themselves.

Middle managers are feeling the burn-out.

A survey by Slack with over 9,000 knowledge workers globally showed that middle managers felt the most stress in remote working, compared to senior management and other individuals. The middle managers group also had the least scores in productivity and overall satisfaction.

It is important for organisations to take a harder look at how their middle managers are faring.

While most people usually look to CEOs to drive an organisation’s performance, a survey conducted by The Boston Consulting Group and the World Federation of People Management Associations suggested that middle managers are in fact much more critical than top managers in driving employee performance.

Likewise, academic research has also revealed that the behaviours and leadership of middle managers are more accurate tell-tale signs of a unit’s performance.

Learning how middle managers cope with pandemic challenges is thus essential for an organisation’s success, both during and post-pandemic.

A burn-out manager leads to negative effects downstream

The pandemic has transformed the modern workplace from a traditional physical office to a virtual setting. Although the WFH arrangement is not without its merits, this change presents tremendous challenges to middle managers, who may find themselves struggling in adjusting their supervising style in this new reality.

Employees are watching. A study done in the United States suggests that when subordinates perceive their leaders to be trustworthy and effective in handling the pandemic, their own emotions and well-being tend to be better too.

On the flip side, unfortunately, those managers who are not able to handle the transition well might bring negative consequences to their followers.

The idea that e-leadership can sometimes turn unethical and abusive is not new. In the past when WFH is mostly a flexible work arrangement option that is voluntary, research has already raised some ethical concerns for e-leaders.

For example, e-leaders may load their remote workers with too much work, as there is a lack of clear distinction between office hours and non-working hours.

Managers can also turn toxic by pushing subordinates to work harder and demanding that they always stay contactable even after work hours. These practices are certainly harmful to employees’ well-being.

There are many potential reasons behind this. For middle managers, the most direct implication of the WFH arrangement is perhaps a loss of direct control over their subordinates.

For example, as early as 2002, research already suggests that a major reason that managers are reluctant to implement WFH is their fear of losing control, although e-leadership requires managers to delegate autonomy to their subordinates.

Managers who are unwilling to delegate may become more controlling and autocratic in order to maintain their sense of power. Furthermore, as middle managers, they face the pressure to perform from the top leadership.

They push their subordinates to work harder, but inadvertently result in work-life conflict and unhappy employees.

Indeed, a study on employees’ tweets conducted last year found that one of the most common complaints from teleworkers is about a lack of work-life balance. Although this can be attributed to multiple reasons, managers who are overly controlling can exacerbate the effects.

These counter-productive managerial behaviours had stemmed from a lack of trust, an expectation gap and resultant miscommunication between managers and employees.

How employees can uplift demoralised middle managers

There is a simple way to improve the situation. Employees can fight back the gloom simply by being more proactive in seeking feedback from their manager.

A study on healthcare professionals in China during the first wave of the virus shows that the proactive personality has an important role in ensuring mental well-being and resilience.

In the work context, being proactive in seeking work-related feedback helps too.

This opportunity allows both employees and managers to understand each other’s expectations, capabilities, and motivations. It has been proven to be an effective way to build trust, respect, and mutual obligations.

As one primary concern for managers is the declining productivity of their subordinates due to a lack of active monitoring, employees who proactively seek feedback reassure managers that they are attentive and motivated in their work.

Furthermore, seeking feedback is helpful for employees’ well-being too. The pandemic has introduced frequent changes at work, leading to increased mental burnout and lower job satisfaction. When employees seek feedback, they become clear on their latest role expectations and take timely corrective actions if needed.

What other things can employees do to stay positive?

You might get surprised by this, but research suggests that even turning cameras on during virtual meetings can be harmful to employees. This is because these employees may constantly pay extra attention to what they look like in cameras – a common but depleting thing to do!

As a consequence, employees show less engagement and proactive behaviours, which might lead to undesirable leadership outcomes. One good, and free, solution is to switch off the camera if possible. If this option is not available, employees can simply disable the “self-view” function in the virtual meeting setting to prevent trivial things from depleting their cognitive resources.

Take advantage of flexible work arrangement

Many organisations began to give employees the freedom to make their own decisions about where to work. That is, they can make daily decisions regarding going back to the physical office or continuing to telework.

Research suggests that employees who experience work-related stressors are more likely to go to the office on the next workday. The benefits of working in the office are especially salient when employees experience work-family conflicts and technology stressors. Thus, it might be helpful to be more flexible in determining work locations to strike the right balance between health and work!

All in all, there are some easy and good ways for employees to stay positive and mitigate the stress they experience from the pandemic. Of course, the pressure should not be placed on employees’ shoulders alone. In the COVID-19 era, middle managers also need to explore and develop new skills to adapt to new leadership demands.

The article is an abridged version of the one first published in CNA.