Managers may like their jobs and enjoy managing their teams but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel stressed, overworked, and ready to quit at times, according to new research by HR and payroll software provider Ciphr.
Ciphr’s survey of 500 managers, with people management responsibilities, found that the majority like (52%) or love (32%) the work they do, and most (85%) like being a people manager (31% said they really like managing others, and 54% said they mostly like it).
The average manager is confident in their capabilities to manage their team (80% of those polled feel this way most or all of the time) and is confident that they have a high performing team (75% feel this way most or all of the time). They are also generally positive about many aspects of their role, and find their job meaningful (74%) and engaging (72%) most or all of the time.
But many are also overstretched by their management duties and find certain aspects, such as having to have ‘difficult’ conversations, and managing disciplinaries and grievances, challenging (32% and 25% respectively dislike this about being a manager).
Nearly one in three (31%) managers thinks their workload is unmanageable most or all of the time, and one in four (26%) feels stressed most or all of the time.
In the last six months, well over half (60%) of the surveyed managers have worked out of hours during evenings or at weekends, two-fifths (40%) have worked through illness instead of taking the time off to recover, and a third (33%) believe that their work has negatively affected their health or wellbeing.
Based on Ciphr's data, thousands of people managers are feeling burnt out or in need of a complete break from work. Three-quarters (74%) of 25-34 year olds say they have felt burnt out in the last year, as have two-thirds (64%) of those aged 35-44, over half (57%) of those aged 45-54, and over two-fifths (45%) of those over 55.
Some managers have already spoken to their bosses about the size of their workloads, and their stress levels and wellbeing (42% and 35% respectively say they have done this within the past six months). And others have already started to look for a less pressured position elsewhere.
One in four (25%) surveyed managers reports thinking about leaving their jobs most or all the time because of the pressure or stress of managing people. While one in three (31%) says they intend to leave their organisation in the next 12 months (a further 15% may join them but are currently undecided).
Top 10 things that cause people managers the most challenges in their jobs:
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Having ‘difficult’ conversations: 32% of surveyed managers
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Increased stress: 30%
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Managing grievances, disciplinary procedures, dismissals or redundancies: 25%
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Managing challenging or problematic behaviour within their team: 24%
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More meetings: 21%
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Extra admin and workload: 21%
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Enforcing policies, rules, ways of working or business decisions that they don’t agree with: 20%
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Managing unrealistic expectations from their boss or leadership: 19%
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Absence management: 19%
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Being a mediator / dealing with interpersonal friction or conflict: 18%
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Giving and receiving critical feedback: 18%
What could convince managers to stay?
There are many things that employers can do to help support their people managers and give them more reasons to stay. Ciphr’s research highlights some of the key practical improvements that UK managers would most like to see.
Top of the list of biggest impediments to their job enjoyment is unnecessary bureaucracy. Around one in four (24%) people managers believe they’d like being a manager more if there was a reduction in ‘red tape’, or excessive bureaucratic procedures, slowing down their decision-making and productivity.
Around one in five think that higher wages (22%), management and leadership training (20%), and more effective support from leadership (20%) should be more of a priority – and would improve their day to day working.
They’d also like fewer and shorter meetings (19%), less unrealistic targets (19%), and less admin and low-value busywork (18%), complemented by more health and wellbeing support tailored for managers (17%).
The full results, outlining the support that managers want most, is available to view at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/how-managers-feel-about-their-jobs#support.
Claire Hawes, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, says: “The message to employers is clear: They need to ensure more manageable workloads and provide further support and training for their managers, or risk losing them to other organisations that will.
“Managers are often being asked to achieve more with less budget and resources. They need to support their team’s development and wellbeing, while being accountable for their performance and productivity. The time and energy involved in balancing the people management side of their jobs with their other duties isn’t always acknowledged. And that can lead to increased stress too.
“Line managers have a crucial role to play in helping to ensure a great employee experience. If they are frequently overworking, and aren’t taking the downtime they need, then it’s going to have a knock-on impact on their team, and across the business, down the line – presenting through absence, low productivity and morale, and higher turnover. You can have the best strategy, products, or technology but if you don’t look after your people then success simply isn’t sustainable.
“It’s in an employer’s interest to understand how their managers are feeling. Ciphr’s research identified a significant sentiment gap between junior managers, middle managers and senior managers. Encouraging regular and ongoing feedback from employees of different ages and seniority levels helps organisations see what they are doing right and what they may need to improve. Whether it’s introducing no meeting days, or investing more in people management software, or a complete overhaul of outdated processes – it all lightens the administrative load on your managers.”
Practical steps that organisations can take to help support their managers, include:
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Encouraged all staff to disconnect from work out of hours and take regular breaks and holidays. Leaders need to role model healthy work behaviours, such as taking leave and not working when sick, and not normalise presenteeism or a long hours culture.
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Equip managers with the skills and tools to support their teams. Invest in regular management training and personalised development, and embed the skills taught through knowledge hubs and AI coaching. Encourage purposeful knowledge-sharing between managers across the organisation. Ensure managers know where to find policies, HR advice, guidance, and wellbeing support, and how they can raise or report issues. Having the right frameworks to use (such as with performance management, absence management or recognition) and repeatable processes in place, builds manager confidence and drives operational resilience.
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Regularly review workloads and deadlines to ensure work is equitably distributed. Regular 1:1s can help identify potential issues before they escalate, enabling line managers to intervene and provide support. Train people managers (at all levels) to recognise signs of mental distress and ensure all employees know what support is available to them via health insurance plans and employee assistance programmes.
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Clearly communicate organisational goals, values and responsibilities, so everyone knows what’s expected of them and why. People work better when they know where their organisation is going and how their role and objectives contribute to getting there.
Ciphr’s new research, based on a survey of 500 UK managers with people management responsibilities, is available to view at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/how-managers-feel-about-their-jobs.
Ciphr is a UK HR and payroll software company that builds solutions for UK HR and payroll teams at organisations with 200–2,000 employees. Its connected platform brings HR, payroll, recruitment, learning and benefits together, so people and payroll teams get one accurate source of data instead of disconnected systems that don't talk to each other. Ciphr is designed around UK legislation and compliance changes, provides expert implementation and ongoing customer support, and is trusted by more than 1,400 organisations.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
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Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com
Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr
Notes:
Ciphr conducted a survey (via Pollfish) of 500 UK managers with people management responsibilities between 26 August and 8 September 2026 (managers who don’t manage other people were screened out). Survey sample details and results are available at: https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/how-managers-feel-about-their-jobs.
Ciphr is the go-to HR, payroll and benefits software partner for UK organisations with 200 to 2,000 employees. Its connected platform brings HR, payroll, recruitment, learning and benefits together, so people and payroll teams get one accurate source of data instead of disconnected systems that don't talk to each other. Ciphr is designed around UK legislation and compliance changes, provides expert implementation and ongoing customer support, and is trusted by more than 1,400 organisations.
The Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 230 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and FlexGenius, as well as its previous acquisition Marshall E-Learning (now known as Ciphr eLearning).
Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, AI in HR, payroll, benefits and rewards, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.
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