The Missing Middle: Why Managers Are the Linchpin of Inclusion & Wellbeing

Middle managers are being squeezed from all sides. They’re expected to deliver business results whilst championing wellbeing, navigating five generations in the workplace, and implementing an ever-growing list of DEI initiatives. In our recent LinkedIn Live, Natalie Wilkins and Deborah Croft explored why middle managers are the linchpin of inclusion and wellbeing - and what organisations can do to support them before they burn out.

Why This Topic Matters

The landscape of work has shifted dramatically. What was once framed as equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is now being repositioned under employee experience and global wellbeing. The outcomes remain the same, but the expectations on middle managers have intensified.

These leaders are navigating non-linear careers, five generations with different needs, and a global mobile workforce where many employees are caring for loved ones across borders. For the first time, this isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s regulatory compliance under frameworks like CSRD in Europe.
And who sits at the centre of making all this work? Middle managers.

The Squeeze: What Middle Managers Are Up Against

Middle managers are caught in a relentless squeeze. From above, they’re managing up to critical business objectives, facing pressure for high performance, efficiencies, and optimisation in a challenging economic climate. From below, they’re expected to create positive employee experiences, champion wellbeing initiatives, and ensure their teams feel supported and included.

The scope of the middle manager role has fundamentally changed. It’s no longer enough to be a brilliant technical expert. Now, managers must also demonstrate empathy, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness. They’re expected to track engagement, spot invisible attrition, and have sensitive conversations that bridge personal matters and corporate policy.

The risks are real:

• Over a third of employees are worried about their mental wellbeing
• Around 10% are struggling with anxiety or depression
• Middle managers are often the first point of contact for these concerns
• Many managers themselves are struggling with boundaries and burnout
• Visible and Invisible Attrition

Middle managers play the most important role in both visible and invisible attrition. Visible attrition is straightforward - retention and ongoing development are heavily influenced by the manager. But invisible attrition is harder to spot and even harder to address.

Invisible attrition occurs when employees are physically present but not fully engaged or performing. They may be navigating personal challenges, feeling disempowered, or simply not thriving. It’s the manager’s role to notice what’s happening, understand what’s getting in the way, and create the conditions for people to succeed.

This requires managers to examine their own blind spots and limiting beliefs about what team members are capable of. It demands cultural awareness, inclusive leadership skills, and the confidence to have difficult conversations.

The Risks and Opportunities

The Risks:

If middle managers are struggling themselves or juggling too many competing priorities, they won’t successfully support their teams through the full employee lifecycle - from onboarding to continued development. The mental and physical load on managers keeps growing, and the pressure to “fix everything” can lead to stress, burnout, and ultimately failure on both fronts.

The Opportunities:

Middle managers have a unique opportunity to nurture their own microculture. Whilst the broader organisational culture and country context will influence them, managers can still create a team environment that’s high-performing, healthy, and happy. They can build trust, encourage people to ask for what they need, and co-create ways of working that meet business objectives whilst supporting wellbeing.

The key is equipping managers with the skills and confidence to do this work without burning out themselves.

How to Support Middle Managers

Organisations can’t keep piling expectations onto middle managers without providing proper support. Here are the most impactful ways to help:

1. Go Back to Basics: Team Charters

Remind managers how to set up a team charter. This isn’t about putting everything on the manager’s shoulders - it’s about creating agreements as a team. How do we want to work together? How do we achieve business outcomes whilst being conscious of the different life events we’re all navigating?

A team charter creates space for people to acknowledge that they don’t have to overshare, but they can design systems and a microculture where individuals can be high-performing both at work and at home.

2. Make Managers Aware of Policies and Benefits

Many organisations have excellent policies, benefits, and training programmes - but managers don’t know about them. Ensure your managers are aware of what’s available and know how to signpost team members to the right resources.

Managers don’t need to be experts on cancer, menopause, or parenting. They simply need to know how to have empathetic conversations and direct people to the support systems that exist.

3. Champion the Policies Yourself

Managers need to actively champion flexible working, global mobility clauses, and other benefits. When leaders demonstrate that they’re using these policies themselves, it gives permission to the team. It signals that using support isn’t a sign of weakness or a barrier to success.

4. Invest in Inclusive Leadership Training

Don’t assume everyone knows how to be empathetic or emotionally intelligent. Provide training on inclusive leadership, compassionate communication, and how to tune into the needs of a diverse team.
With the shift away from the term “inclusive leadership” in some contexts, organisations can frame this as training on empathy, emotional intelligence, and human-centred leadership.

5. Build Cultural Awareness

For managers working in global or culturally diverse environments, cultural awareness is essential. Feedback cultures, communication styles, and expectations around work-life balance vary significantly across cultures. Equip managers with the knowledge to navigate these differences and avoid blind spots.

From Individual Growth to Systemic Change

Supporting middle managers isn’t just about individual development - it requires systemic change. Organisations must complement leadership programmes with manager briefings, peer mentoring, and sponsorship initiatives. Equip line managers with the tools to support their teams’ ambitions rather than unintentionally blocking them.
Middle managers need to be part of the conversation from the start. They need to understand the vision for employee experience or global wellbeing and be brought along on the change journey - not just left to implement initiatives they don’t fully understand or believe in.

Three Things to Remember:

1. Awareness

Recognise the pivotal role middle managers are playing. They’re the linchpin between strategy and lived experience. Take care of them.

2. Equip Them

Give managers the tools they need to succeed - whether they’re managing up, across, or down. Don’t make assumptions about what they already know.

3. Role Model

Senior leaders must be the leaders they want their middle managers to be. Champion humane workplaces, hold managers accountable to their own wellbeing, and demonstrate that thriving at work is possible.

Final Thoughts

The economic climate is tough, and training budgets are often the first to be cut. But cutting support for middle managers is a huge risk to the organisation. These leaders carry a significant load, and if they’re not well cared for, the impact will ripple through the entire organisation.

If you’re making budget decisions for 2026, pay attention to leadership development at the middle management level. Keep investing in their growth, their health, and their ability to show up and lead with empathy and effectiveness.

Middle managers are the missing middle - the linchpin that holds inclusion and wellbeing together. It’s time we start treating them that way.

Need help supporting your middle managers? Get in touch - we’d love to support you.