Under-skilled middle managers suffering burnout due to inefficient or non-existing training

Employers have been urged to create proper onboarding programs for new managers, and give them the skills to manage up, with a large proportion of new middle managers being unprepared for their responsibilities and experiencing burnout.

Prematurely promoting workers to middle management without proper training increases the risk of them experiencing anxiety, depression and imposter syndrome.

A lot of new managers feel like they have to really prove that they deserve the promotion that they received, so they're constantly chasing their tail, because they're also not receiving the support they need. Some lack the appropriate "soft skills" for the role, and haven't been guided on how to be strong people leaders, which affects the wider team.

A company's middle managers handle multiple responsibilities, including managing their direct reports, reporting to senior management, and performing their own assigned work.

A new survey of 100 Australian middle managers, conducted by software company Capterra Australia, found 78 per cent had experienced burnout from being stressed and overwhelmed at work.

Many reported being interested in training on conflict resolution, delegation, communication and time management, but four out of five rarely or never received managerial training after being hired or promoted.

More than half had not experienced mentoring from fellow managers or senior leaders.

We recommend that onboarding programs focused on people management can be very helpful for promoted managers, with training around the basics of people leadership, managing workers empathetically, and how to create a safe work environment for their team.

Another key skill is learning to manage up to oversee the team above them, and learning how to redirect or "say no" to unreasonable demands.

A buddy system or mentorship, where new managers are coupled with a colleague one or two levels above them to ask questions and "bounce things off", also facilitates up-skilling.

A lot of the time middle managers may feel a lot safer psychologically to reach out to a buddy or a mentor to say 'I'm really struggling in a certain area’.

They are unlikely to want to reach out to their direct manager out of fear it might suggest they can't do the job effectively.

Being a people leader is not an easy role that every worker enjoys, and employers need to make it clear during middle manager promotions that it will be a non-negotiable part of the role.

Employers can also look within their business to determine if they can be creative with their promotions.  This could involve promoting a worker who is technically sound but doesn't want to be a people leader, while simultaneously promoting another who does want to be a people leader, and have them support one another.

While it may not work for everybody, there's an opportunity for businesses to reconsider how they are structuring their organisation in a way that allows everybody to thrive.