Middle managers caught between hybrid work policies

Some middle managers are experiencing challenges while straddling the middle ground between working from home and the office, according to research from management consulting firm Gallup.

The research found that hybrid managers feel less connected to their company culture, as compared to their hybrid bosses or their manager peers who are working fully remote or fully in the office.

Particularly, the middle manager ends up shouldering the brunt of making an entire team feel engaged with their work and thrive in their jobs, balancing the differing needs of their employees while ensuring upper management’s new hybrid policies run smoothly.  This happens because remote and hybrid policies are built to accommodate the individual, not a group, Gallup explained, reported Fortune.

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Findings of the research are in line with what other middle managers are facing. Some middle managers told the Financial Times that they feel trapped in the return-to-office situation, explaining that implementing such policies can be lonely and confusing.

“We’re hearing people say, ‘We’d like to encourage teams to come back.’ You need to be clear about why they’re doing it,” Jane, a customer service operations manager, said. “Otherwise, it is just putting pressure on middle managers.”