Millennial managers are finding it more difficult than managers from other generations to monitor and identify opportunities to support direct reports who might need help. (Photo: Josep Suria/Adobe Stock)
As U.S. employers reimagine the workplace while also navigating the "Great Resignation" —the recent trend of workers leaving their current roles for new opportunities—a supportive and healthy workforce is more important than ever. Many managers, and millennial managers in particular, have taken on the challenge of supporting employees' well-being during this difficult time.
However, MetLife's new study, "Caught in the Middle: Managers in the Wake of COVID-19," finds that while millennial managers are stepping up to support employees' well-being, they are often sacrificing their own. Millennial managers, in fact, are significantly more likely to say they are burned out (42%) than managers of any other generation (34% Gen Z, 27% Gen X, and 21% Boomers) and individual contributors (30%).
Recommended For You
Yet, as the largest generation in the workforce today, millennial managers have a significant impact on employees' and their overall organization's ability to not only survive, but also thrive in the new normal. This is underlined by the fact that 52% of employees with supportive millennial managers say they are healthy across all four pillars of physical, financial, social and mental health, versus just 18% of those who say their managers aren't supportive.
For this reason, it is essential that employers take note and identify opportunities to help boost the resilience of this "squeezed middle"—and by proxy, empower them to continue making a positive impact on their organization. Here are three suggestions for employers as they consider how best to support millennial managers:
1. Offer benefits that support managers' well-being
MetLife's research finds that this year, millennial managers are expressing interest in benefits that will support their financial health, and, consequently, their mental and holistic well-being. For example, this group is significantly more likely to list pet insurance (+58%), legal services (+50%) and financial planning tools (+40%) as "must have" benefits when compared to pre-pandemic. To best support these managers, employers should make an effort to offer in-demand benefits, as well as mental health resources like mental health programs and EAPs (employee assistance programs) and communicate to employees how these products can serve them.
In doing so, employers can help millennial managers to feel more equipped and prepared to tackle their jobs. In fact, managers from this generation who say their employer offers a range of benefits that meet their personal and household needs are significantly more likely to report being holistically well (54% vs. 30%) and resilient (70% vs. 46%).
2. Empower managers with targeted trainings
Millennial managers are finding it more difficult than managers from other generations to monitor and identify opportunities to support direct reports who might need help. Indeed, one-third of millennial managers (32%) say they struggle with spotting signs of stress, burnout, or lower mental health among their reports. Meanwhile, only one in five (22%) baby boomer managers say they are struggling with this.
To help these managers adequately support their teams, employers should consider trainings and tools that can help empower and broaden their management skillset. Specifically, millennial managers indicate they are interested in training that addresses people management (82%), managing personal stress (78%), and conducting conversations around sensitive topics such as D&I and social justice (74%).
3. Help managers navigate flexible arrangements
As the lines between remote, hybrid and in-person work continue to blur during the pandemic, employees say flexibility is one of the top benefits of having a supportive manager. However, millennial managers rate flexibility as one of the top challenges of their job—nearly six in 10 (59%) say they have struggled in this area within the past 12 months—and they are also the most likely cohort to recognize divisions between remote and onsite workers (45% vs. 38% of total managers) within their team.
In light of this disconnect, employers can offer trainings that address the management of hybrid remote/onsite teams—74% of millennial managers say they are interested in this, compared to only two-thirds of managers overall. Employers can also set a firm example of boundaries by limiting their own emails and requests outside of working hours and encouraging millennial managers to set self-imposed limits on their time and energy, themselves.
As the "squeezed middle," millennial managers are, understandably, also at risk of burnout. Employers who rely on these leaders to keep their fingers on the pulse of employees' well-being—especially during a time when so many are leaving their current roles—should take swift action to address their needs. By offering benefits that support these managers' holistic well-being, trainings to support their development into leaders and encouraging them to put flexibility into practice, employers might find millennial managers better equipped, both mentally and practically, to remain resilient and prepared to continue to positively impact their organization.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
