The U.S. workforce may be in a leadership crisis: Recent research has suggested that nobody wants to be a supervisor anymore.
More than half of surveyed job seekers who are or were managers said they have left their roles — or plan to do so — because of a lack of fulfillment or advancement. Likewise, the majority of Gen Zers surveyed said they would rather develop their individual expertise than manage fellow workers, according to the results from Express Employment Professionals.
This is a trend sometimes called “conscious unbossing,” which Jennifer Dulski, CEO and founder of Rising Team, a talent development platform provider, defines as a “growing reluctance — especially among Gen Z — to step into management roles as a way to protect their mental health and wellbeing.”
But conscious unbossing isn’t just a term from the HR side of social media. One chief people officer told HR Dive that she’s seen this on her own teams, as well as in her career coaching work.
It’s refreshing to see talent who aren’t focused solely on moving up, but want to strengthen their expertise or try a lateral move, Jenny Shiers, CPO of Unily, an employee experience platform, told HR Dive via email. That’s because on the flip side, she said she has seen high achievers promoted to leadership positions unsuccessfully.
“A strong individual contributor doesn’t always make for a strong manager or leader of people,” Shiers continued. “The skill sets are different, which is why organizations must invest development dollars on manager capability.”
When the ROI isn’t worth the stress
Employees may be reluctant to become a supervisor because today's workforce prioritizes mental health, flexibility, and autonomy over the traditional hierarchical management, Express Employment International’s director of talent acquisition and retention, Alisha Chappell, told HR Dive via email.
That’s because they see traditional supervisory roles as high stress and low reward, she said. Supervisors deal with budget cuts, demands to increase productivity, low engagement and the imperative to bridge the generational workplace gaps, “all for a slight bump in pay,” Chappell said.
Dulski’s take on the situation echoed Chappell’s: “Many people are hesitant to step into leadership roles right now because, frankly, it’s harder than ever to be a manager. Organizations are asking managers to lead larger teams with fewer layers of support and fewer tools to help them succeed.”
And when companies do provide support, the methods are outdated, said Dulski, who is also a lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Her view is also that most manager trainings are designed for executives — not frontline supervisors — and require lots of valuable time.
While the trend may be generational, many feel reluctant to lead
The trend is at least somewhat driven by more junior workers who are willing to question legacy structures and don’t automatically tie success to a job title, Shiers said. “But it’s not just Gen Z. Plenty of experienced professionals are opting out of management roles after seeing first-hand how draining they can be,” she continued; it’s “less about age and more about shared values.”
The adoption of remote and hybrid models early in the COVID-19 pandemic gave workers a taste of autonomy, she continued, saying that many would prefer to not give up that flexibility.
Dulski agreed about the nuances of conscious unbossing being a “generational” trend: Gen Z has survived the COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, the rise of AI in the workplace and employers valuing their workers much less. “That cumulative experience has shaped how Gen Z views leadership,” she said. “It makes sense that they’re questioning whether traditional management roles are worth stepping into.”
“I see it less as a rejection of leadership and more as a rejection of outdated systems. Gen Z wants to lead in ways that prioritize connection, trust, and inclusion, and they don’t see the support structures in place today that would allow them to do that,” she continued. If companies start supporting supervisors differently, she said, younger workers will step up toward leadership more often.
What HR can do
When promotions aren’t the carrot they used to be, HR professionals may need to rethink how they approach development and workforce planning.
Engagement requires a new lens
To approach employee engagement in this new era, HR practitioners may need to broaden what “career growth” means at their company. “That could be building out parallel tracks for subject matter experts, investing in lateral opportunities or rewarding contribution and innovation as much as people management,” Shiers said.
“HR also needs to evolve, and stop selling leadership roles as the ultimate prize. They’re one path — and a valuable one — but leadership is not for everyone,” she said. “The more that is normalized, the healthier organizations will be.”
Conscious unbossing doesn’t mean the death of leadership
When it comes to workforce planning, better systems and team alignment on skills — in a way that’s conscious of everyone’s time — are Dulski’s main recommendation.
Improved support for leaders can make the role more attractive, too. “Conscious unbossing is telling us that managers don’t want to step into roles that feel isolating, overwhelming, and under-supported,” Dulski said. “HR leaders need to move past outdated approaches and give managers innovative tools that make leadership easier and more rewarding.”
Shiers’ vision for the future is a more collaborative workforce, which she believes is more aligned for the way people work today. Her view is that companies that cling to rigid hierarchies will find it increasingly difficult to attract and retain talent, she said.
“What’s most exciting about conscious unbossing is that it doesn’t mean we end up with fewer leaders: It means we end up with better ones,” Shiers said. “When people choose leadership, rather than stumble into it because it was the only option, they show up with more energy, empathy and commitment.”
