McKinsey finds middle managers are spending little time actually managing—here’s why

Middle managers aren’t spending nearly as much time managing as one might assume. A new survey from McKinsey finds that, on average, managers only spend about 28% of their time managing employees. In a world where proper people management has become all the more essential to retaining top talent, that could be cause for concern. But experts say there are a few best practices leaders can implement to ensure managers spend ample time guiding and empowering employees.

First, realize that managers are pulled in several—often competing—directions, says Emily Field, a partner at McKinsey and one of the report’s authors.

“Middle managers are hearing and feeling mixed messages on how they should be spending their time. And this is where HR and business executives can play a role,” she tells Fortune. Managers spend the bulk of their time in four categories: administrative work, individual-contributor work, strategy-focused work, and talent and people management. 

Managers reported spending nearly one full day each week, about 18% of their time, on administrative tasks alone. They spend about 23% of their time on strategy-focused work and about 31% on individual-contributor work. Field says that employers, in recent years, have shifted to incentivize and reward more individual-contributor work within organizations.

“If a middle manager feels like their individual-contributor work is the highest value work, then it makes good sense that that’s where they will put a lot of their energy. The question is, what is that at the expense of?” she asks. Unfortunately, the answer is often people. 

For HR leaders looking to tip the balance back toward people management, Field says they should focus on three actions:

– Understand what’s getting in the way of managers focusing their time on people leadership and high-value work. That often means removing invisible hurdles like organizational bureaucracy that distract from the real work of fostering talent and automating menial tasks to free up a manager’s time.

– Managers will change their behavior based on incentives. Motivate and reward them for spending time developing their direct reports. 

– Clearly define what it means to be a manager at your organization. Discuss the expected behaviors, implement necessary training, and outline the amount of time they should invest in managerial tasks.

“You can’t manifest great managers. You have to develop them,” says Field.

Amber Burton
amber.burton@fortune.com
@amberbburton

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