Who's the Boss?
Why Managers Are Mental Health Multipliers
When people think about mental health at work, they often picture employee assistance programs, wellness apps, or extra vacation days. Those things matter. Yet one of the biggest influences on how people feel at work is not a policy or a perk—it’s their boss.
For many professionals, the negative impact of having a negative relationship with their boss is worse than the stress of unemployment. If someone is struggling at work, the strain seldom stays inside the neat and clean lines of nine to five. It’s carried. And in some cases, the personality and temperament of their manager reverberates through their homes.
Gallup’s research on workplace wellbeing shows that managers explain 70 percent of the differences in how engaged employees feel at work. Engagement is not just about productivity. It is about whether people feel connected, supported, and psychologically safe.
Why Managers Matter So Much
One of the most important factor in an organization’s long-term success is the quality of its leadership. Managers sit at the crossroads of strategy and execution. They translate lofty mission statements into daily experience.
For many employees, the manager is the company. A supervisor who fosters trust, communicates clearly, and shows care creates an environment where people feel seen and valued. Someone in a position of power who is disengaged, stressed, or dismissive has the opposite effect. Anxiety rises, motivation drops, and work begins to erode mental health.
The Current Reality
Unfortunately, many leaders themselves are struggling. Gallup data shows that only 27 percent of managers are engaged at work. Many report high levels of burnout, unclear expectations, and insufficient training. Some managers are good at what they do but have no desire to lead or train others to do the same thing. Being skilled at a vocation or craft does not autumatically equip you to lead a team or organization well. If you’ve ever been told to follow someone who isn’t interested in leading you, you know how miserable of an experience this can be. When the people responsible for holding teams together are disinterested or adrift, the ripple effects are profound.
At the same time, only 15 percent of employees worldwide are fully engaged. When managers lack clarity in their roles, it’s unsettling for employees. They experience more stress and uncertainty. When managers have regular conversations with their teams, provide coaching, and create environments of trust, both engagement and wellbeing improve.
What’s at Stake
A poor manager doesn’t just affect performance metrics. They shape whether people look forward to work or dread it. They influence whether someone carries energy home or brings stress into their personal life. Chronic disengagement and poor leadership can contribute to anxiety, burnout, and even physical health problems. A skilled manager who leads with empathy and support can have the opposite effect. They become a protective factor for mental health, helping employees withstand organizational pressures and life stressors.
The Path Forward
The research is clear. To improve wellbeing at work, organizations must invest in their leadership. That means:
Training managers as coaches with skills in empathy, feedback, and development.
Clarifying role expectations so managers know what success looks like and can communicate that to their teams.
Prioritizing manager wellbeing through peer support; mental health resources; sufficient tools, time and training to execute work effectively; and realistic workloads.
Mental health at work isn’t supported in a one-off wellness seminar on a Friday afternoon. It begins in every one-on-one, team meeting, and Slack exchange. What’s the tone? The “boss factor” is real. By equipping and supporting managers, organizations can multiply wellbeing and create workplaces where people do not just perform, but actually thrive.
References
Clifton, J., & Harter, J. (2019). It’s the Manager. Gallup Press.
Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report.
Gallup. (2022). The Wellbeing-Engagement Paradox of Managers.
Wall Street Journal. (2023). Managers’ Engagement at Work Has Dropped.
Financial Times. (2023). Middle managers face burnout crisis.
Harvard Business Review. (2021). It’s a Manager’s Job to Support Employee Mental Health.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Work and Well-Being Survey.
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