Gen Z avoids being a boss

As many companies seek to streamline their middle management by 2022, Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is trying to reject this position.

A recent survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters (UK) showed that 72% of the youngest generation in the workforce want to develop their personal expertise rather than become managers.

16% of Gen Z surveyed said they would avoid middle management positions at all costs. 36% who predicted they would take on a management position in the future also did not want this.

It's not that Gen Z has lost the ambition to advance, they just don't want to take on more management responsibilities.

Lucy Bisser, director of Robert Walters, says this generation prefers to take charge of their own projects and build their personal brand rather than spend time managing others.

This trend is evident in the growing number of young people abandoning traditional corporate career paths to start their own businesses or become social media influencers.

A 2023 Morning Consult survey found that nearly 60% of Gen Z would like to become a full-time influencer if given the opportunity. That number hasn’t changed much since 2019.

"My generation no longer dreams of consulting, banking, or astronaut jobs," says Steven Schwartz, Gen Z founder and CEO of Whop.

Steven believes that Gen Z today craves the freedom to be creative, build independent careers, and find success on their own terms. Thanks to the Internet and technology, they have access to information and new opportunities. These individuals also want a job that is not only rewarding but also interesting and allows for personal growth.

More and more Gen Zers are shying away from management positions, even as many are being considered for the role.

Last year, 12,000 managers at Google lost their jobs. Employees were also told that promotions would be more difficult in the future. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also emphasized reducing layers of management in the company's restructuring. According toBloomberg, middle management positions accounted for nearly a third of layoffs in 2023, up from 20% in 2018.

The "great unbossing" trend shows no signs of stopping as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has just announced an increase in the employee-to-manager ratio to at least 15%.

But many middle managers are leaving their positions.

A survey by US software company Capterra found that 75% of Millennial managers feel overwhelmed, stressed and burned out. When asked why they turned down management jobs, nearly 70% said "too much pressure, too little reward".

New middle managers face increased workloads, higher expectations to be available to support staff and continue to meet personal goals, says Lucy Bisser.

“These roles can be overwhelming and make many people reluctant to take on additional responsibility,” says director of Robert Walters.