More money, more responsibility and a title that, until recently, was the main sign of professional success. However, more and more employees are no longer convinced that it is worth it.
Why more and more employees are turning down promotions. Is it worth being boss in 2026? Photo credit: Shutterstock
A study conducted in Great Britain on 5,000 employees show that only 15% of those do not hold management positions find the idea of becoming a manager attractive, while almost two-thirds say they do not want such a role. Why do people avoid the promotions that used to be the natural goal of a career?
The manager between two worlds
According to the Ipsos Karian and Box study of 5,000 employees in large organizations, 63% of those who do not hold management positions say that they do not find the role of manager attractive. In addition, two-thirds of respondents believe that managers’ responsibilities have increased significantly in recent years.
Jack Evans, director of client services at Ipsos Karian and Box, says organizations face a real problem.
“The role of manager has become dysfunctional. And companies have arrived here after years of adding more and more responsibilities and demands without rethinking how the role can bring the most value to the organization,” he explains to the British publication People Management.
The results do not surprise Madi Rădulescu, Master Certified Coach (MCC) and managing partner of MMM Consulting International.
“Managers are usually expected to do a few things when they are promoted. First of all, to know the business well, which often keeps them in an expert trap and subsequently makes it difficult to delegate certain tasks, so they increase the load level for that manager,” she explains for “The Truth”.
Moreover, she adds, “a capacity to work and to cope with long-term effort is expected of them, that is, not only the ability to cope with fatigue, but also to recover from periods of fatigue and intense pressure. That is, resilience is expected.”
Added to these is the relationship with the higher levels of the organization.
“A third thing that is expected of a manager at the time of promotion is his ability to work with the hierarchy at the top of the organization, to be able to present information and data in a format and level of detail relevant to the top of the organization, which many find very challenging and abstract.” points Madi Rădulescu.
“Thanks, but I don’t want his job”
On Reddit, where hundreds of employees have discussed declining promotions, the top reason cited is a loss of work-life balance.
The author of a very popular post recounts that after ten years in his career, he came to the conclusion that he did not want to manage people: “I look at what my manager has to deal with every day and I’m like, thank God I don’t have his job.”
Many panelists said they would rather become experts in their field than lead teams: “There are generally two main directions in a career. Deep Expertise: You become the go-to person for a certain area. Or leadership and team building.”
Others argue that promotion is not the only path to higher income: “Some companies have directors and vice presidents who don’t have people reporting to them. Their role is based on expertise. It’s definitely a path to high income.”
“I regret that I chose the path of management”
Among the most appreciated comments are the testimonials of people who have already gone through the management experience.
“I hate being a manager and I regret choosing this path. I rarely do the things I like anymore in my field, but I do a lot of things I don’t like. If you don’t want that kind of role now, don’t take it. I regret choosing management and now I can’t get out of it.” someone admits.
Cash vs card: the payment method that clears your account faster
Another user describes the feeling of isolation the position brings.
“Being a manager is the loneliest role I’ve ever had. You get criticism from both directions and you don’t really have peers at the same level to vent to. You simply have to manage everything yourself. Strategy is decided by my boss, salaries and policies are set by HR, and I just pass the information both ways,” he confesses. “I love building a good team and helping people develop, but the downsides outweigh the upsides 90% of the time.”
Why management is becoming less attractive
Madi Rădulescu observes that the problem does not come only from the employees, but also from the organizational transformations.
“There is a reverse trend from many companies, especially in large companies, which tend to reduce the number of managers, especially in the middle of the organization. This causes the number of managers in an organization to remain the same or even decrease.” she explained.
The consequences are obvious. “In the end, the pressure and the challenges for one of the managers who remain in a position in the organization are indeed much greater and the complexity much greater, and this can make the possibility of a managerial career unattractive.” add this.
HR consultant Gemma Bullivant tells People Management that many managers continue to do technical work in addition to managing people.
“Managers are expected to be agile and take on additional roles as work evolves, meaning they have a lot more to manage than in the past,” she claims.
Professional success no longer just means promotion
But perhaps the most important change is how people define success.
“If I think about how we define professional success, it has undergone changes in recent years. The pandemic years have changed our values about work and our relationship with effort, and people have discovered a new relationship with comfort,” Madi Rădulescu opines.
She believes that vertical promotion is no longer the only form of professional development. “Professional success is no longer necessarily defined only by the social validation of a position with the title of manager or director, nor by the impressive company car you could drive, but perhaps rather by the learning opportunities or your presence in certain projects that are ambitious”, is the specialist’s opinion.
She talks about an increasingly present phenomenon in large organizations.
“This lateral career criterion is developing, in which professional success does not only mean climbing the hierarchical ladder, but means increasing your professional value by acquiring new skills or through a more complex understanding of business”, adds Madi Rădulescu.
For many employees, the question it’s not if they want to be bosses anymorebut whether the leadership position really represents the best form of professional development. And the answer that seems more and more common is that: not necessarily.
