Why No One Wants To Be A Manager Today 

I gave up a 6 figure middle management position and I will never go back. I choose happiness and peace over title and salary.

Middle management is filled with overwork, stress and babysitting. Just be a regular employee or the CEO. Staying in between sucks.

I gave up my salaried middle manager job with high outlook, to get into trade work. Never been happier

Middle managers aren't the only ones losing confidence in their employers. Low level staff and the customers also losing confidence in companies

Most managers don’t know how to do their employees daily tasks

Totally understandable. I was a manager in my last role and decided to go into tech as an analyst and it was the best decision I ever made. Remote, high pay, less responsibility, etc. Never again. Managers get treated like dirt by leadership and the extra money doesn't offset the degraded quality of life and sacrifices.

I was a manager but was doing exactly the same tasks as everyone else,basically another employee but with the stress and responsibilities and my team was not pulling the weight. Left after 10 years and best thing ever, happy,no stress,best quality of life

I thought about quitting multiple times from my management position due to staffing issues. People wouldn't show up on the first day of being hired after going through the hiring process, new hires not showing up to work, endless drama, and critical thinking skills and social skill have gone out the window. I'll work with a small reliable crew for a longer period if it means there's no drama, and they agree with that.

I have a long history of successful Project Management. My Employer recently offered me a Management position in another Division. I declined because: I will not attempt to manage other people's children. I manage projects. Not people. People must manage themselves.

Get a 6 figure salary without being management. Thats the key.

Shrinkflation is a bitch and it’s not just the chip bag. Inflation goes up, salaries do not, effort evaporates.

Middle management is the first to go when CEO’s screw up.

I'm so happy I made productive decisions about my finances that changed my life forever,hoping to retire next year.. Investment should always be on any creative man's heart for success in life

My supervisor is retiring this summer. I will happily stay where I am for $3 less an hour not to deal with all the crap he does.

I hate being a manager. Been doing it over 15 years and the staff under me have become so much more entitled. I am now just a babysitter. The people above me don't care because they don't see it as their problem. It is hard, but the money is better and I retire with a pension next year, so just trying to make it thru; but I would not recommend being a manager to anyone anymore. Can't wait to retire and just work part time and supervise no one!

I'm a manager currently at a major retailer. The pressure from higher-ups is extremely high and the faults in the building are always placed on management's shoulders. We get absolutely lambasted during corporate visits and get laundry lists of notes to complete and usually an unreasonably short period of time to complete them. If they aren't complete, it is expected we not leave the building until they are. Salaried doesn't get paid for OT hours, so they don't care how long it takes or if we had prior obligations. It is at least the general perception that we are expected to cancel the rest of our lives at a moments notice if they "need" us in the building.

I moved up fairly quickly in senior living to a management position at a large corporate assisted living ownership. I was super excited and gave it my all but shortly I was consumed by the job. Staff never showed up to their shifts, held management hostage for “bonuses” just to do their job, constant phone calls throughout the night until morning. It was brutal. I only lasted two months. The prestige of title and major increase in pay is not worth your happiness and life outside of work.

I work at one of the largest manufacturers in the USA. Production employees have seen ridiculous 1.5%-2% pay raises at our company for the last dozen years. Last year included. Meanwhile, the CEO and upper management get 6%-30% pay raises plus stock bonuses for steering us through Covid. No wonder we are bleeding production staff like never before in our 100+ years.

Don’t confuse middle management with your front line manager or supervisior. Know the difference.

"We will do more with less!" and managers wonder why quiet quitting became a thing. Personally, doing more with less has been going on for the last 24 years. I've heard managers recently state that 1x I.T. guy should be able to handle 800 servers. The never seem to read the rest of the report where the servers are defined as identically configured and less than 5 years old.

Go into management and be a babysitter managing adults who act like little kids. Nope! Would rather be a salesman Ken

What I’m also seeing in the IT sector is specialist positions have gone up in salary and positions like team leads have not and they are expected to do the same work as a specialist and management. In the end, companies are taking advantage of people and expecting more with less and in the end it’s going to bite them

I wish Ken was more anti-CEO & pro-employee. We should be encouraging workers to demand more from the people on the top.

I was a manager and after 10 months I voluntarily demoted my self back to my lower position. It's not worth it FOR ME. I hated waking up and going to work(never felt that way before). Now instead of worrying about just my responsibilities now I have to worry about everyone else. I don't want to be the boss. It's just me though.

I was asked several times why I wasn't getting into management. 1) I had zero desire to manage people. 2) I don't believe I had the right temperament to be a manager. I don't like slackers and liars. 3) I think they are underpaid and they have to put up with a lot of BS. I was happiest during my working years, when I was given a lot of work to accomplish and I hit the ground running every morning. And at the end of the day, I left it all there at the office. 4) I hated working for people who had no business managing anything.

Employers are terminating people in the last quarter to get bonuses for senior positions. They then rename positions and hire new people the next quarter.

Generally the pay raise is negligible and the stress is higher. I can do my normal job and a side hustle, make just as much as my boss and have none of the stress.

The three best days of my life in the work force: (1) Getting out of the Army. (2) Giving up my management position after 17 years. (3) October 15, 2023, the day I retired from the rat race, age 60. I’ll probably return to work in some capacity (assuming I can get a job at my age LOL) but there’s no way in hell I’d accept a middle management position again. They don’t print enough money…

A lot of middle management isn’t necessary. And companies are seeing that now after the pandemic surge.

No one also wants to pay managers what theyre worth and also pay the necessary staff. No, they want to operate a business and not lift a finger at the same time not support the manager and not pay them or properly staff the business and then approach the manager with a stupid look on their face asking why the business is failing

I work in tech and don't know anyone that's had a raise in the last 3-4 years. I gave management a shot at a major cable tv provider. Got maybe a 5% increase in pay for about 10X the responsibility, and then was forced by upper management to downrate people during annual review time to make sure they never got more than a 2% raise. I'll never do it again. I went back to engineering and am much happier. These corporations are deranged.

I work retail, same store for over a decade. They wanted to move me up the ranks to corporate, within a year of being hired. They keep telling me, “You’ll make more money!” Apparently, that’s the only positive thing about moving up.

Im a middle manager at a small government entity. I cant terminate poor performing employees or terminate the credit account of people who put in writing that they refuse to pay us without asking 3 boomers or xers. I don't fight the machine, I just refuse to care more than my bosses.

When I was a regular employee, I hated middle management and blamed everything on them. Now that I'm a middle manager, I realize just how little they control. You get to deal with all the petty, day-to-day stuff that upper management doesn't want to be bothered with, but when it comes to important decisions you still don't have much say. For us unskilled workers, middle management is our only shot at having a decent salary, so you learn not to care pretty quickly. Definitely miss the days when I didn't have to deal with everyone else's baggage and drama though. Btw, I think it's funny when I hear a worker complain that I have no idea what their job is like. I did their job for several YEARS before I became a manager, but they didn't start until after I was promoted and don't know that. It's almost like you have to "prove yourself" over and over to each new worker that you can do their job, before they believe you... while still finding time to also do your management work after they've clocked out and gone home, of course. Fuck that shit, bro!

Where? Where have wages gone up? How are companies having problems with rising expenses when they have to worry about record breaking profits?

Never once in my life I had a one on one or a yearly review. I know my current boss does the yearly review, and my raise depends on it. But neither discusses it nor delivers. Last year he gave me my "number" I scored on a sticky note. This year not even that. According to him, there is no need in any of that talking or one on ones since we see each other every day and talk anyway about work.

I got laid off last week from CVS. Please pray for me

Middle management is a means to top level, I work for large corporation and got promoted to mid-level management just about a year ago, planning my departure for a director level position elsewhere. Mid level management is a stepping stone, not a career.

I am a supervisor and I can tell you the issue is at management and director levels. They are all new to their jobs and they don't know what they are doing. They just make blind decisions and tell me to implement them. Meanwhile my cohorts can't keep their teams together because people keep quitting. I am looking for another job after being told I have to permanently absorb the work load of my incompetent cohorts (supervisors) who (1) do not know how to lead and (2) cannot solve problems. I was told I was getting their work because I am so good at my job. I told my director overwhelming with more work is not a compliment. My cohorts are making the same salary I am, but they are doing less work, because it was reassigned to me.

Maybe the best thing is to have a six figure non- management staff position. Just need to find what and where those positions are. Of course, with inflation, a six figure income gets you less and less nowadays.

Mid level manager here. This hit me to the core.

I actually just stepped down from management. Got tired of being employees and upper managements punching bag. All the extra hours and no pay because of salary. I make more when I stepped down.

I just put my notice of resignation in because it’s not worth it.

Worked in a union shop for many years as a manager. At 3:30 the union folks either went home or were paid time and a half for overtime. I was expected to stay extra hours for free. At the end of the year their W2’s were always more than mine. I liked my job and was respected by the union folks. Guess that’s why I stayed so long. For those looking at benefits - union folks always had better.

What qualifies Ken to give advice on this other than what Dave has told him?

This is EXACTLY why I am retiring in 3 weeks. Even if you try and advocate for yourself and your team upper management will NOT listen.

Coleman is the Joel Osteen of job advice.

I gave up a regional mgmt position after only 1 month for peace of mind. It's not worth it!

The pay decrease from where i am to move into management isnt worth the higher workload and stress.

Most managers give up and don’t care.

I can attest to this.

A lot of companies aren’t paying more - just the general 3-5% raise which doesn’t come close to inflation rate

Yeah I was one. I'm OK just as a regular individual contributor these days thanks - it's not worth it for an extra 15% a year - I pull x 5 that from my investments anyway - not worth the extra hours per week.

Baloney wages have gone up “dramatically “. What is your source? BLS? I know my last two years have seen 3% raises. Is that the dramatic raise?

Preach

Only some people got a wage increase. Everyone got a cost of living increase.

I would never be a unit manager. A lot more work for a little more money

I Recently left management. It’s harder now because every role is technical now, there is no paper pushing to give low performers. Also people push back more and it’s more an employee market in terms of tasks….I don’t have people to delegate too and say “because I said so” which sounds good in theory but also means that if I just need a letter sent for example, I have to print it and go to fedex to send it out. That multiple times a week means you never get to core work. Then you can’t pay “adult” salaries because execs are stuck in the 2000s

Wages and salaries increased DRAMATICALLY over the last two years. The cost of living increased EXTRA-DRAMATICALLY during the same time period. The pay hike was still a net loss.

It's one of many useless roles. Do you really need someone who does nothing all day long but figure out how to interrupt production with numerous useless meetings. To conduct one-on-ones and other silly 🤪 tasks that are no benefit to those actually doing the work. To do performance reviews which are not beneficial and a huge waste of everyone's time? The bigger question is why can't society move past traditions and things that simply are no longer necessary or useful? 😳😮

Yep

The largest companies on the country just have not had to pay more, they keep cutting quality down to keep buying more stocks. It affects smaller business, and then everyone else. That excuse that their having to raise prices such because of wage increase is a lie. Rent going up 300% has nothing to do with wages.

Id like to get a management job. But the shitty pay isnt worth the hardship and thanklessness that comes with it.

I'm favoured, Getting my own Truck has always been my Dream for my business. I just acquired 2 recently, earning $32K weekly has been really helpful. I can now give back to the locals in my community and also support Charity Organizations. I really appreciate your videos

Wages haven't increaed "dramatically" outside ceos. Inflation has, and elites profits have. If you just repeat msm phrases like how everything is so great and perfect and best economy ever in history then why are reporting gen z dropping out and no one wanting to be managers anymore? Cuz everything is paradise? Or because maybe everything ISNT GREAT.

I am a "middle manager". I've been since 2019, first year was a challenge. It's how you look at things. You need to control your emotions when things are rough and stop looking at the small issues but the bigger issues. Took a training on the kaizen and it has taught me wonders. Control your mental health before it controls you. That being said, 5am early gym session helps lol.

You can't run the company eventually, without being a middle manager first. That's what I did.

Either the producers or the middle managers get stolen from, and now it's the middle managers.

❤

Yeah bc their jobs are literally the least important in any company.

If they can't do the job? Move them up. They fired the VP where I was. I knew where all of his work was going. Right to me. I quit the same day. They are no longer in business.

You couldnt pay me any type of money to manage a team of people. Project Management, yes, managing a team, absolutely not.

The world wants to be full of "Managers"...... The old saying is that talent does or they're the doers..... Those who can't ........they teach/manage.....

It's the second worst job, after being a police officer.

Corporations have record profits highest ever So it’s all good for the oligarchs

Having company weekly scrub meetings (like 25minutes) helps here.

I caught the DEI jab. DEI means hiring more white women at every org i've worked at.

Too many followers no leaders!

Not enough money to be a stupidvisor.

how about those electric plug in vehicles ??? thats all done, another waste of billions.

doesn't take genius or 8 minutes of yapping to understand companies are trimming the fat. Nothing new.

Ken, youre out of touch. Just admit it. Nearly everyone in the comments, who actually lives this reality, disagrees with you and your pedestal.

DEI is good, don’t bastardize what it is

Gave up my six figure middle management job for a trade. We suffered for employees so bad we couldnt fire anyone and turned into an impossible work environment

normal employee got too much pay

Companies place DEI over good management and good employee hiring.