In our previous article, we asked whether the UK is facing a talent shortage. The post-pandemic workforce is battling a skills gap; the demand for high-level roles requiring certain skills is outstripping the pace of training.

Do younger jobseekers want higher-level roles in the first place?

The internet has recently been awash with corporate buzzwords: ‘quiet quitting’, ‘quiet firing’, ‘ghosting’, ‘panic hiring’, and ‘the Great Resignation’. The latest buzzword has arrived in the form of ‘conscious unbossing’ – where younger employees (namely Gen Z) are actively avoiding middle management and moving away from traditional hierarchical structures in the workplace.

A UK-wide survey found that as many as 52% of younger workers are avoiding middle-management roles.

Why would this be?

The same survey revealed that over two thirds of Gen Z respondents believe that middle management is too much stress for too little a pay off.

Compared to their predecessors, Gen Z has faced a turbulent entry into the workforce. Many of their university degrees were impacted by the pandemic and they were forced to complete their studies from home, then they graduated directly into remote-working roles. Gen Z hasn’t experienced office culture to the same degree as previous generations—many may never step foot inside an office.

The idea of a ‘job for life’ is a thing of the past. Gen Z is happily championing ‘squiggly careers’ and job hopping. Such short-term roles were once a black mark on someone’s C.V., marking a candidate as a flight risk. This activity now forms fruitful career decisions. One survey found that “job hoppers saw a 35% salary increase over the last three years, nearly double that of tenured employees”.

Clearly, Gen Z are shaking up the workforce and middle management might be the next thing to go. But don’t be fooled, Gen Z don’t want to remain static or be rooted in junior positions forever; respondents in the earlier survey expressed their desire for growth through an ‘individual route’ rather than the traditional career ladder their predecessors had to climb.

Youngsters are also contending with an ageing population. By 2050, the average retirement age is expected to rise to 71, before people can access their state pension. What might have once been a fleeting duty in middle management could today stretch into a long-drawn-out stay in one of the corporate world’s least-desired jobs. If the incumbent senior managers retain their positions for longer, Gen Z might never graduate from the dreaded middle management, which may further reduce its appeal.

Should this becomes a wider issue, is there anything recruitment agencies can do to combat it?

Whilst Gen Z would love to do away with the traditional hierarchy of workplace management, employers believe it’s here to stay—82% of employers believe middle management is crucial to their organisation. At some point, however, it seems inevitable that a middle management role will become vacant, but it’s seen as too undesirable to apply for.

According to Gen Z, it all comes down to the perception that middle managers are overworked and underpaid. The best thing recruiters can do is mitigate those factors. An effective recruitment website design should highlight the positives of a role and any benefits the company offers. However, Gen Z won’t be fooled by smoke and mirrors; the phrase ‘competitive salary’ will deter most jobseekers from applying. Remuneration is one of the biggest factors in stigmatising middle management, with respondents pointing out that there is very little between the salary of a junior worker and a middle manager—yet the latter has much more stress and responsibility around their daily tasks.

Since the pandemic, more people are adopting the philosophy that they want to ‘work to live’ and not ‘live to work’. Candidates might need assurance that the role of a middle manager is not all-consuming, and that the hiring company values the work-life balance of its employees.

Finally, a lot of respondents were concerned or fed up with the perceived lack of support from a company. Middle managers seem to be the ‘fall guys’ of a company…always getting the blame when something goes wrong. Recruitment agents should emphasise the company’s internal support structures when hiring for a middle management role, along with the candidate’s potential to make an impact, both in the company and in their careers.

Perhaps in a few decades’ time, when Gen Z finally occupies those senior positions, we may see some serious change in corporate hierarchical structures. For now, recruiters must think outside the box and find different ways to fill middle management roles.

Fast Recruitment Websites help their clients stand out from the crowd in today’s challenging marketplace. Call us on 01302 288591 for an informal evaluation of your current recruitment website.