No more ‘conscious unbossing’: Transforming management in our industry
Opinion
Providing training and support, particularly in the area of mental wellness, is vital if we want the next generation to aspire to — not run away from — management.
Many Gen Zers in this country are saying “thanks, but no thanks” when faced with the prospect of becoming a manager. Management is no longer seen as the holy grail of promotion at work — quite the opposite, in fact. Gen Z are purposefully turning away from the management track.
This issue is so prevalent that it’s gained its own name — “conscious unbossing” — after research conducted by headhunting company Robert Walters found that 52% of the UK’s young professionals are avoiding management positions. Even more of those surveyed see management as something that’s high in stress and low in reward.
Something else that contributes to this factor is the lack of training and support available for managers — an issue that certainly affects our industry.
Lack of training
Nabs’ All Ears community consultation (2023) revealed that just 19% of managers had received any training. Contrast this with the enormous jobs that today’s managers have to do. Alongside the traditional duties of line management, the role has now expanded to encompass a lot of mental wellness support.
Around 40% of the industry employees that Nabs surveyed would go to their line manager as a first port of call if they were experiencing a mental wellness challenge, despite managers not being trained in these areas.
But training is key. We can’t expect managers to hold these conversations without it.
Nor can we expect managers to deliver more emotional support without being provided with emotional support themselves. They desperately need this. A huge 75% of managers surveyed in All Ears have experienced mental wellness challenges.
We also know that teams realise when managers struggle: just a third of All Ears respondents thought that their manager could promote positive mental wellness in their teams.
Team members, not just their managers, are suffering as a result. Nearly half of those we spoke to said their mental wellness had dipped while their new manager got to grips with their role, while a huge 60% revealed that their manager was promoted with no training.
Bringing out the best in people
What’s more, we’re expecting managers to hold space for everyone, without giving guidance on how to do so. There’s a lack of training on how to bring out the best in diverse teams and how to support people with a broad assortment of perspectives and lived experiences.
It’s time to transform this situation. Collectively, let’s give managers the help they need to set them up for success. By doing so, we’ll be supporting the creativity and joy that we see in our industry at its best.
We can also turn management into a role that Gen Z can aspire towards, instead of running away from.
So what can you do to train and support your managers?
Fostering supportive and inclusive environments
Nabs has just launched its Managers’ Mindsets holistic training and support programme to respond to this vital need. Comprising a range of workshops, mentee opportunities and various forms of support, the programme fills in all the gaps identified in All Ears.
We give training on aspects of management including how to have mental wellness conversations, how to create inclusive atmosphere, how to lead through change and how to support your own mental wellness as a manager.
Our aim is to enhance managers’ awareness, self-care and personal growth. Throughout the programme, we explore ways that managers can foster supportive and inclusive work environments while looking after their own emotional health.
We strongly encourage you to look at how you can support managers in your organisation and team up with us to make sure that anyone in, or coming into, a management role has the knowledge and support they need to do well.
If we all face the reality of management together and team up to focus on helping managers, we can turn around this critical situation.
Otherwise, managers will be few and far between in a few years’ time — and those who are left will be even more overwhelmed.
Let’s do what we can to transform “conscious unbossing” into “unconscious bossing it”.
Find out more about Nabs Managers’ Mindsets
Lorraine Jennings-Creed is director of wellbeing services and culture change at Nabs