Middle managers are feeling the squeeze

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Overview

UK middle managers are feeling the squeeze as a result of the economic downturn, according to the CIPD’s Winter 2011-12 Employee Outlook survey of 2,000 employees.

Almost half (49%) of middle managers say they are under excessive pressure either everyday or once or twice a week, compared to a survey average of 37%. They are particularly unhappy with their work-life balance; just 44% agree they are satisfied with their work-life balance, compared to 70% among employees with no managerial responsibilities.

In addition, middle managers worry most about their job security. One in three (29%) think it is likely they could lose their job as a result of the economic downturn, compared to 21% of employees with no managerial responsibility and 15% of senior managers.

Perhaps not surprisingly, says the survey, middle managers are the category of employees that are most likely to be looking for a new job with a different employer, with 29% looking to move organisations compared to a survey average of 21%.

Ben Willmott, Head of Public Policy at the CIPD, said ‘Middle managers are often caught in the middle between delivering strategic objectives and managing under-pressure line managers. They can also be first in line when organisations look to reduce head count. While middle management will undoubtedly bear its share of job losses in organisations needing to reduce head count, it is also important to remember the crucial role these managers play in managing change, translating the objectives of senior managers into actions, and motivating others’.

Overall, job satisfaction has risen this quarter to an annual high of +41, from +38 in autumn 2011 and +35 in summer 2011. Public worker job satisfaction has risen this quarter to +34 from +24 in autumn 2011 and the trend for younger workers has taken a change of direction and is on the up again (+43).

In all, 43% of employees report their organisation has frozen pay, down from 45% for the last quarter. Public sector respondents are most likely to report a pay freeze, with 75% saying this is the case, unchanged from the previous quarter. The proportion of private sector employees reporting a pay freeze has fallen to 33% from 37%, while 49% of voluntary sector respondents report a pay freeze compared with 53% in the autumn.