Gen Z Managers Confront Burnout and Stagnant Benefits in the "Great Flattening"

The "great flattening" of middle management roles has accelerated in recent years, with a brutal 2025 so far. By one count, 80,000 tech jobs have been cut, with Microsoft alone responsible for 15,000 layoffs and counting. This trend has been particularly challenging for millennials, who now make up the majority of managers for the first time.

As Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, enters the workforce, they have responded to this management shakeup with "conscious unbossing." However, the data paints a more complex picture. While over 50% of Gen Z workers say they don't want to pursue middle-management roles, they are actually making inroads into management at a similar pace to previous generations.

The challenges facing rising Gen Z managers are significant. Burnout mentions in workplace reviews spiked 73% year-over-year as of May 2025, and access to benefits like flexible scheduling and mental health support have stagnated or even declined. Companies seem to be investing more in perks like health savings accounts and fertility assistance rather than the emotional facets of work that Gen Z is assumed to prioritize.

Despite the rhetoric around "unbossing," the traditional levers of career advancement remain intact. Management is still seen as the best path for climbing the corporate ladder, and Gen Z managers will likely surpass baby boomers in management ranks by late 2025 or 2026 if current trends continue. The upshot? Gen Z may want to reshape the workplace, but they face inherited constraints and the inertia of long-standing norms.