Middle Managers Series: Support Middle Managers in a Hybrid Workplace

Empowering the Middle: How HR Can Support Middle Managers in a Hybrid Workplace

This month we conclude our Middle Manager Series exploring How HR Can Support Middle Managers in a Hybrid Workplace.

As organizations adapt to hybrid workplace models, the role of middle managers has become increasingly complex and challenging. Middle managers often find themselves balancing the demands of senior leadership while leading their teams through significant transitions. Recent research highlights that this challenge is intensifying; a survey by Slack Technologies’ Future Forum revealed that 43% of middle managers report burnout, the highest among all job levels. Despite their teams benefiting from workplace flexibility, middle managers feel less connected to their companies, experience poor work/life balance, and face high stress and anxiety levels, exacerbated by responsibilities like returning teams to physical workplaces amidst employee resistance. To help them succeed, HR Synergy can play a crucial role in providing the support and resources these managers need. Let’s explore how.

Support for middle managers is crucial. Granting middle managers more decision-making power can alleviate stress and enhance job satisfaction. Enhancing their authority and influence, providing necessary resources, and restructuring their role as leadership-focused can alleviate some stress. Additionally, improving the relationship between HR and middle managers is essential. HR must actively listen to middle managers, seeking and valuing their feedback to understand their unique challenges. Regular check-ins and open communication channels create a psychologically safe environment. HR should validate managers’ experiences and provide training on managing hybrid environments, ensuring middle managers feel supported and heard.

Effective leadership development is another critical area. Leadership in a hybrid environment requires specific skills. Programs should offer relevant, timely, and actionable content, accessible regardless of work location. HR Synergy can provide targeted training programs that focus on managing remote teams, conflict resolution, and communication.

Coaching, historically reserved for C-suite executives, can be extended to middle managers to help them adopt new mindsets and prepare for senior roles. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can facilitate matching managers with suitable coaches or mentors, enhancing the development process.

Peer support is also vital. Middle managers often feel isolated, caught between senior leaders and their teams. Building tight peer groups and creating support networks can help them rely on each other for support and share solutions to common problems. Cohort-based leadership development programs and regular meetings focused on middle managers can foster these connections. Senior leaders participating in these groups can further strengthen relationships and ensure middle managers feel seen and valued, reducing the risk of resignations and disengagement. Leadership development, coaching, and peer support programs equip middle managers with the tools they need to lead confidently and effectively.

A sense of disconnect emerges when individuals feel unnoticed and undervalued, leading to resignations and ‘quiet quitting.’ HR Synergy can help you address this disconnect by fostering stronger relationships with middle managers and creating opportunities for them to bond with senior leaders and each other. Supporting middle managers in a hybrid workplace is essential for organizational success. By providing validation, training, empowerment, and fostering connections, HR Synergy can help middle managers navigate their complex roles with confidence and ease.