The modern workplace places managers in an unenviable position. Tasked with driving performance and meeting executive expectations while tending to employee engagement, they are caught in what many organizational psychologists now call the “manager squeeze.” This pressure cooker of competing demands is not only exhausting frontline and mid-level leaders but is quietly eroding organizational effectiveness. Left unaddressed, it contributes to burnout, disengagement, and turnover among a group that should be a strategic force for growth.
Understanding the manager squeeze is critical for HR leaders who seek to sustain performance while maintaining a resilient culture. By reframing how accountability and support are defined and delivered, HR can relieve pressure on managers and strengthen the organization’s core leadership capability.
Why Managers Are Burning Out
Managers have always bridged strategy and execution, but the pace and complexity of work today have intensified that role. Research from Harvard Business School points to increasing role overload, ambiguity in expectations, and the emotional labor of people management as primary drivers of burnout among managers compared to individual contributors. High demands with limited resources are predictors of burnout that undermine performance and well-being. Leaders under constant strain cannot model the resilience and engagement organizations seek to cultivate.
The hidden cost of unsupported managers extends beyond individual suffering. When managers are overwhelmed, their teams experience lower engagement, higher turnover, and weakened trust in leadership. A study in the Harvard Business Review found that employee trust in supervisors is one of the strongest predictors of team performance, yet managers who are burned out struggle to maintain consistent, compassionate leadership. When accountability is enforced without clarity and support, it can devolve into micromanagement, eroding autonomy and creativity.
The Hidden Costs on Culture and Retention
The financial cost of turnover alone is substantial. The Wall Street Journal reports that replacing a mid-level manager can cost an organization up to 200 percent of the employee’s annual salary when factoring in recruitment, training, lost productivity, and cultural disruption. These costs are compounded by the loss of institutional knowledge and weakening of team cohesion.
Cultural health also suffers when managers lack support. Teams take cues from their leaders. If managers are reactive and struggling to stay afloat, their teams mirror that behavior. It becomes difficult to foster a culture of accountability when leaders themselves feel disempowered.
A Balanced HR Advisory Framework
To address the manager squeeze, HR must adopt an advisory framework designed to support managers with empathy while strengthening accountability. This framework has four interlocking pillars:
- Clarity of Expectations
Managers need well-defined roles that align with organizational priorities without ambiguity. Clear expectations reduce cognitive load and allow managers to focus on meaningful outcomes. According to research in Harvard Business Review, role clarity is one of the strongest predictors of job satisfaction and performance. Articulating what success looks like at each managerial level removes guesswork and builds confidence. - Capability Building
People management is a distinct skill set that requires ongoing development. Structured learning, coaching, and peer support networks equip managers with the tools they need to lead effectively. Importantly, capability is not only about tactical skills such as giving feedback or conducting performance reviews, but also about emotional intelligence, conflict navigation, and resilience. - Support Structures
Support for managers should include access to HR partners, data, and systems that streamline administrative burden and facilitate decision-making. Rather than defaulting to oversight, support structures empower managers to act with agency. When HR plays a consultative role, managers see the function as a strategic ally rather than an enforcement arm. - Outcome-Focused Accountability
Accountability should be reframed as a shared commitment to outcomes rather than a mechanism for surveillance. This means setting measurable goals, aligning resources to outcomes, and creating feedback loops that reinforce learning. Accountability is not punitive; it is adaptive. Organizations that shift to this mindset encourage innovation and shared problem solving.
Redefining Accountability Without Bureaucracy
Accountability must be decoupled from micromanagement. Effective accountability systems focus on measurable outcomes, transparent criteria, and regular check-ins that highlight progress and challenges. Instead of tracking hours or enforcing rigid process compliance, organizations should assess impact, team engagement levels, and alignment with strategic priorities.
This approach draws on principles supported by organizational behavior research. When teams understand how their work contributes to broader goals, engagement increases. Managers who report higher levels of autonomy and clarity are more likely to take ownership of outcomes and model accountability for their teams.
Practical Interventions HR Can Deploy Now
To turn this framework into practice, HR can deploy several interventions:
- Manager Diagnostics: Conduct assessments to identify capability gaps and workload stressors. Use data to tailor development plans.
- Coaching and Mentoring Programs: Pair managers with internal or external coaches to build skill and confidence in navigating complex people challenges.
- Role Calibration Sessions: Regularly revisit role descriptions and expectations with relevant stakeholders to ensure clarity and alignment with strategic goals.
- People Analytics Dashboards: Provide managers with actionable insights on team engagement, turnover risk, and performance trends to inform decisions without adding administrative tasks.
- Peer Support Circles: Facilitate forums where managers can share best practices and challenges, fostering community and reducing isolation.
Strengthening Managers as a Force Multiplier
Investing in managers is not a soft or optional initiative. It is a strategic imperative that yields measurable returns. Organizations with robust people management strategies see higher employee engagement, lower turnover, and more consistent execution on strategic priorities.
For HR leaders, the opportunity lies in shifting from transactional support to strategic enablement. By equipping managers with clarity, capability, structured support, and outcome-focused accountability models, HR functions create a foundation for sustained organizational resilience.
Supporting managers in this way not only reduces burnout but builds a stronger culture and sharper execution. As you look to elevate your people management strategy in this evolving work environment, Newland HR Services is ready to partner with you. Our advisory approach helps organizations operationalize frameworks like this one in ways that fit your unique context and strategic priorities.
