In 2025, corporate hierarchies are slimming down at an alarming pace, a trend experts are dubbing "The Great Flattening." The numbers paint a stark picture: U.S. managers now supervise three times as many employees as they did a decade ago, according to Gartner. This shift is accelerating, with firms like Google trimming 35% of its small-team managers and Intel eliminating half of its management roles.
Job postings for middle management dropped 42% by the end of 2024 compared to 2022. Gartner predicts that by late 2026, one in five U.S. companies will use AI to streamline structures, slashing management positions by about 50%.
This overhaul is reshaping workplaces, particularly eroding the vital bonds between leaders and their teams.
What's driving this issue? What are exhausted managers voicing today, and how might a leaner management setup evolve in the coming years?
Let's dive deeper.
Managers Face Double the Reductions but Triple the Load
Managers are being pulled thin, with little relief in sight.
"Layoffs have decimated management ranks, leaving survivors overwhelmed," explains Jessica Weiss, a workplace culture and leadership consultant in New York City. "Microsoft's cuts, while described as broad, hit managers hardest." She highlights Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's goal to boost the worker-to-manager ratio by at least 15% by early 2025. Over the last three years, overall workforce reductions averaged 3.5%, but management cuts reached 6.1%.
This isn't just a manager problem—it's a team-wide crisis.
"Your manager influences your mental health more than your doctor or therapist, rivaling the impact of your partner," Weiss emphasizes. "Overloading managers with triple the reports undermines the key relationship that drives job satisfaction, engagement, and happiness."
The result? Higher turnover risks for both leaders and employees.
"You can't multiply responsibilities threefold and expect strong, loyalty-building connections to survive," Weiss warns.
As middle layers vanish, fewer managers handle more people, but duties haven't lightened—they've grown.
"Managers must now juggle strategy, coaching, communication, and morale-boosting, often without adequate support," says Sabria Sciolaro, chief people officer at Firstup in Kansas City, Missouri. "When this crucial bridge between staff and executives weakens, it erodes trust, clarity, and motivation."
Another key element under threat: mentorship.
"Mentorship demands time, attention, and interaction—commodities in short supply for overburdened managers," notes Neil Morrison, global chief people officer at Staffbase in Farnham, U.K. "This elevates the role of employee communications."
Even with limited face time, transparent and compassionate messaging can offer some guidance. "It's no substitute for true mentorship, but it prevents employees from feeling adrift," Morrison adds.
Three Strategies to Ease the Burden on Stressed Managers
Company leaders must act swiftly to support their strained managers.
At Sciolaro's firm, employees see their direct supervisors as the top trusted source for updates, underscoring the need for relief. These approaches can yield quick, tangible benefits.
1. **Leverage Automation for Routine Duties**
Start by auditing time sinks. "Managers often waste hours on disseminating info or following up," Sciolaro says. "Automating these frees them for meaningful leadership like coaching."
Emphasize that AI tools lighten loads, not eliminate jobs. "Data-driven confirmation of message receipt lets managers skip drudgery and focus on irreplaceable human interactions," she advises.
2. **Prioritize and Streamline Responsibilities**
Managers can't do it all.
Selena Rezvani, a leadership expert and author of *Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams*, urges rejecting "false urgency." "Scrutinize commitments, challenge constant crises, clarify priorities directly, and use 'no' to safeguard your team," she recommends.
3. **Foster Open, Genuine Dialogue**
Managers should voice concerns to higher-ups authentically, backed by evidence.
"Pure venting might seem like whining about extra work," cautions Jason Leverant, president and COO of AtWork Group in Knoxville, Tennessee. "Consider the company's motives—profit, efficiency, or output?"
Propose fixes like process tweaks instead of just absorbing more load. "This forward-thinking approach positions you for long-term success," Leverant says.
Addressing Manager Burnout: The Clock Is Ticking for Businesses
With overworked managers, companies can't afford delays in solutions.
"If headcount cuts persist, managers may evolve into overseers of vast, dispersed teams," Rezvani predicts. "Personalized coaching could become rare. Top leaders will differentiate by transitioning from overwhelmed heroes to architects of resilient cultures."
The rationale for prioritizing manager well-being is compelling.
"Over 80% of workers value mental health over high pay, and two-thirds would accept less salary for better support," Weiss states. During the 2021 Great Resignation, Fortune 500 firms with mentoring saw 3% median growth, while those without shrank by 33%.
Ultimately, victors will be firms that grasp this: since managers shape mental health as profoundly as family, workplace fulfillment is essential. "Organizations fostering joy, bonds, and aid despite lean structures will thrive," Weiss concludes. "Those ignoring it will lose talent to empathetic competitors."