No one will be surprised that employee stress levels have been high since the Covid pandemic started in 2020. Things have gotten better, but we continue to struggle with how to work, how to deal with outbreaks, lack of social outlets, etc.
One area that clearly is getting worse is manager burnout. The burnout and stress levels of managers is still incredibly high and things will probably get worse.
I've stated before that the pandemic exposed managers - meaning they weren't good at the key things managers need to do, but the office covered up a lot of mistakes. Which means when they lost that cover, they weren't prepared. Managers didn't (and in many cases still don't) have the skills or knowledge to be effective.
Add in the great resignation - which means less experienced staff, open positions, and just as much work - and you have a disaster in the making. Organizations are going to find that managers will start quitting as well because the burnout is so bad. Which will make onboarding and getting things done even harder and more stressful. We are in a vicious cycle.
Organizations must focus on improving the skills of managers. It won't be solved in a 2-day seminar or by just telling them a few things. It will be a long process of learning new ways and experimenting. It will require managers to be open to new things, vulnerable to mistakes and admitting mistakes, and creating a new culture.
It will difficult, but necessary for sustainable success.