The progression paradox – employees want growth, just not the responsibility of managing people

A fundamental shift in career philosophy is creating a structural challenge within the modern workplace, as 44% of the workforce now wants to grow their salary and professional influence without ever becoming a boss.

New research from Reward Gateway | Edenred, as part of the Bridging the ROI Gap report analysing HR trends, reveals a widening progression paradox – while HR departments are desperate to decentralise people management, the modern workforce is increasingly rejecting the traditional ladder to leadership.

For decades, the corporate ladder had one set of rungs: more money meant  more direct reports. Today, that ladder is breaking as employees increasingly choose to swerve traditional career paths. Human Resources departments are currently undergoing a massive strategic shift. To focus on high-level business transformation, 95% of HR managers are looking to offload administrative and people tasks – such as performance reviews and conflict resolution – directly to line managers.

However, this decentralisation is hitting two notable roadblocks – a workforce that doesn’t want to manage, and a current crop of managers who are failing at the basics. The bridge between HR strategy and employee experience is becoming less straightforward as employees are less willing to adopt the responsibilities traditionally associated with management.

The data highlights a staggering disconnect between the HR expectation and the employee reality. While  87% of HR managers express high confidence that they have equipped their leaders with the right tools, the view from the desk paints a different picture.

Despite HR’s desire for managers to take over performance reviews (43%) and wellbeing checks, (40%) of employees report that their manager never checks on their personal wellbeing. Furthermore, the lack of communication is systemic; while HR assumes their systems are clear, only 37% of employees actually know what benefits are available to them, and 34% claim their manager fails to review their career progression entirely.

Chris Britton, Director of People Experience at Reward Gateway | Edenred, commented: “It isn’t just a case that management is changing; it’s that the traditional incentive structure is becoming increasingly obsolete,

“We have a confidence delusion where HR believes the tools are in place, but the employees feel ignored. If we don’t create high-value paths for individual contributors who want growth without the people burden, there’s a fear that we will continue to see a breakdown in the middle of the organisation. 

“This deadlock suggests that the traditional model of rewarding top performers with management roles is no longer viable. Without tailored and individual growth paths that match management-level prestige and pay, companies risk harming employee engagement and retention. It’s important that businesses pay close to attention to the needs of employees, and work out how they can best be supported with the right HR set-ups in place.”