1 In 4 Employees Want To Replace Their Manager. And It's Making A Big Impact on Retention.

There’s a negative group of leaders causing chaos in your organization right now.

These leaders are burning out your workers, causing workplace insecurity, and creating a culture where employees want to leave.

Who are these leaders? They are replaceable managers. 🧑‍💼

We recently surveyed 1,000 full-time employees about employee turnover and their current experience with management. 27% of the employees we surveyed said they would likely replace their current manager with someone else if given the chance.

Managers are one of the most critical groups in an organization.

• 40% of employees rank managers as the group that has the most impact on them when it comes to recognition.
• 33% of employees say managers have the biggest impact on their engagement.

You’ve probably seen how fantastic a team can function under the right leadership. Organization and HR leaders should strive to employ more high-quality managers if they want to see a more productive workforce.

The Negative Impact Of Replaceable Managers

Understanding that 27% of employees would likely replace their manager with someone else is an alarming statistic on its own, but what impact do these replaceable managers have on employees and organizations?

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Employees who work for replaceable managers struggle with various aspects of work, like burnout, layoffs, and job security. As a result, these employees are more likely to look for other opportunities.

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Replaceable Managers Fuel Burnout

Dealing with employee burnout is exhausting. Clocking in when you are not mentally prepared for the day frustrates and overwhelms employees. Burnout also reduces employee performance. It can be challenging to get past a state of burnout because employees dealing with it have other physical symptoms that get in the way of their work, like headaches and trouble sleeping.

An astronomical 72.3% of employees with a replaceable manager agreed they were dealing with burnout at work. Unfortunately, every group seems to be dealing with some burnout, but only 30.9% of employees who would be unlikely to replace their manager say they are dealing with it.

By not intervening, companies create a negative work environment that’s impossible to thrive or succeed in.

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Employees With Replaceable Managers Say Their Organizations Are More Likely To Have Experienced Layoffs

Significant layoffs have been a big part of the global work experience in the past few years. Stories about layoffs have become so common that entire communities have popped up around the experience, like Laid 0ff, a substack with over 5,000 subscribers and hundreds of layoff stories. Companies have had to part ways with key employees to tighten budgets and stay afloat. Are replaceable managers impacting these numbers? Our data suggests they do.

Employees with replaceable managers are more likely to have experienced a layoff at their organization. While 11.4% of employees who wouldn’t replace their manager share that their organization has had a layoff in the last three months, 25.5% of employees with replaceable managers shared that their organization had.

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Layoffs don’t just impact employees with replaceable managers. Employees who stay on after a layoff often deal with a loss of trust in leadership, survivor’s guilt, employee morale drops, and more. Unfortunately, layoffs show no signs of stopping in the months and years ahead. Organizations will have to continue trimming their teams until team sizes align with current budgets and workforce needs. Before you trim employees, ensure you have the right engaged leadership to tackle your company’s needs.

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Job Security Is Difficult To Obtain With A Replaceable Manager

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs, safety/security is one of the most foundational aspects of life. Maslow contends that people first must have their physiological needs met, such as food, water, and shelter. Then, they must feel secure in aspects of life like health, employment, family, etc. These survival needs are essential to meet more creative and intellectual needs like love/belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization.

It can be challenging to feel completely secure at work with layoffs and downsizing making headlines, but employees with replaceable managers are having an especially tough time feeling safe. Nearly 1 in 2 employees who say they would replace their manager feel worried about their job security. This data starkly contrasts employees who wouldn’t replace their manager, where fewer than 1 in 5 employees worry about job security.

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Replaceable Managers Push Valuable Workers Away

Employee turnover is costly, and companies can spend months replacing a valuable employee. Recruiting and training a new hire can cost an organization thousands of dollars and countless hours across HR and the team that needs to replace that employee.

57.2% of employees with replaceable managers plan to look for work in the next three months. In comparison, only 22.2% of employees who wouldn’t replace their managers say they are looking for work. Employee turnover can be detrimental, and if your management team has a replaceable manager, you are pushing employees away from your organization.

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How Employees Feel About Replaceable Managers

We understand the impact of replaceable managers on the company, but how does this relationship play out for team members? In an ideal world, managers have a positive impact on their team. Unfortunately, replaceable managers create a negative work environment that makes it difficult for their employees to thrive at work.

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Many Employees Want Replaceable Managers Fired

1 in 4 employees would replace their manager with someone else, but would they like their direct manager fired? On average, only 16.4% of employees want their manager fired, but 51.3% of employees with replaceable managers feel that way. In comparison, only 1% of employees who wouldn’t replace their manager want them fired.

This statistic shows that many replaceable managers are more than just a nuisance to your employees. Some employees might replace their manager for a simple difference of opinion on management styles, but many employees have a deeper issue with the leaders they work with.

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When Replaceable Managers Leave, Their Team Breathes A Sigh Of Relief

Working under a replaceable manager can be exhausting for employees. Some of your team members may work with a manager who gives them a sense of dread when they are in the office for the day.

When a replaceable manager leaves, how will your employees take the news? According to our data, 65.3% of employees with a replaceable manager would be relieved if their current manager left. In comparison, only 2.1% of employees who wouldn’t replace their manager feel the same.

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Leading A Team As A Replaceable Manager Means That Your Decisions Are Questioned Constantly

Replaceable managers aren’t just creating negative work environments. These managers may also be making:

• Bad decisions and creating workplace tension as a result.
• Good decisions that their team doesn’t trust.

Nearly 40% of employees with a replaceable manager say they oppose their manager’s decisions. Only 1.3% of employees who wouldn’t replace their manager say the same. It can be hard to lead a group if a large percentage of employees disagree with or distrust your decisions.

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How Do Employees Describe Replaceable And Irreplaceable Managers?

If you could describe your manager in one word, what would it be? When we asked employees about the word that comes to mind for their leader, it might not surprise you that replaceable and irreplaceable managers got very different words.

Replaceable managers got words like lazy, selfish, and incompetent. Irreplaceable managers were supportive, awesome, and amazing. You can imagine that working under an arrogant boss is very different from working with a helpful one.

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What Are The Top Growth Opportunities For Replaceable Managers?

Do you ever stop learning? To be the best manager, you must keep up with your interpersonal or soft skills. How managers relate to and rally their team will define how well it does. So, what are the top growth opportunities that replaceable managers can lean into? Our employees say their top five skill growth opportunities are communication, leadership skills, accountability, fairness, and supportiveness.

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Communication

According to our employee engagement research, companies have a communication problem. When we give employees our engagement survey, employees often rate their company’s communication process low. In a recent survey, only 45% of employees said their company was great at communication. It’s no surprise that replaceable managers have an issue with communication if many organizations aren’t great at it.

53.1% of employees with replaceable managers say their manager should improve their communication. Here are some tips to help replaceable managers improve this skill:

• Schedule Regular Check-ins: Hold one-on-one meetings with team members to discuss their goals, challenges, and progress. One-on-ones show you’re invested in employee development and keeps lines of communication open.
• Actively Listen: Focus on understanding what employees say without interrupting or planning your response. Summarize their points to confirm understanding.
• Be Transparent: Share relevant company decisions, team goals, and performance updates. Employees value honesty and clarity over silence or vague answers.
• Ask For Feedback: Encourage employees to share what’s working and where you could improve. Act on the feedback to demonstrate you value their input.
• Tailor Communication Styles: Recognize each team member has a preferred way of communicating (e.g., email, verbal updates, or written memos) and adapt your approach to meet their needs.

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Leadership Skills

It may come as a shock to you, but leaders don’t necessarily have leadership skills. As we discussed in our recent article on leadership engagement, sometimes leaders/managers are just employees with a team. Having a team doesn’t mean that your managers will have positive leadership skills.

In fact, 48% of employees with a replaceable manager said that one of their leader’s biggest opportunities for growth was leadership skills. What does that look like for the replaceable managers on your team?

• Provide Vision And Direction: Clearly articulate long-term goals and how your team’s work contributes to the bigger picture, giving them a sense of purpose.
• Build Trust: Be consistent, transparent, and honest in your actions and communication to create a foundation of trust with your team.
• Foster A Growth Mindset: Encourage your team to take on challenges, learn from mistakes, and continuously improve their skills.
• Give Credit Where It’s Due: Recognize and highlight individual and team contributions, ensuring everyone feels valued.
• Stay Calm Under Pressure: Demonstrate emotional resilience by maintaining a level-headed and composed demeanor during stressful situations, inspiring confidence in your team.

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Accountability

Replaceable managers have a bad reputation. As you saw earlier, one of the most common adjectives used to describe replaceable managers was lazy. Employees don’t like doing things they don’t feel like their manager will do, so being accountable is important.

33.6% of employees with replaceable managers say their leader should focus on improving accountability. Here are some tips managers can use to be more accountable to their team and goals:

• Own Your Mistakes: Admit when you’re wrong and take steps to fix it—modeling accountability encourages your team to do the same.
• Set Measurable Goals: Clearly define objectives and timelines for yourself and your team, holding everyone to the same standard.
• Follow Through: Do what you say you’ll do. Keeping commitments builds credibility and trust.
• Create A Feedback Loop: Regularly check task progress and provide constructive feedback to ensure everything stays on track.
• Set Clear Consequences: Clearly define and communicate the outcomes for both meeting and missing expectations to ensure things are getting done. Managers should also be subjected to these consequences if they miss deadlines.

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Fairness

What do you think the consequences would be if you messed up at work? Would the consequences vary from what your colleague would get? Managers are replaceable for many reasons, including their ability to treat employees fairly. Fair treatment makes employees feel psychologically safe, which is essential to a positive work experience.

According to 32.5% of employees with replaceable managers, their leader needs to focus on fairness, but how can leaders get better at this?

• Be Consistent: Apply rules, rewards, and consequences across your team to ensure everyone is treated equally.
• Avoid Bias: Be aware of unconscious biases and make decisions based on objective criteria, not personal preferences.
• Listen To All Perspectives: Before making decisions, seek input from everyone affected to ensure all voices are heard and valued.
• Acknowledge Contributions Equally: Recognize achievements across your team to avoid resentment or feelings of favoritism.
• Use Transparent Processes: Communicate how decisions are made, especially for promotions, raises, or task assignments.

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Supportiveness

Does your team feel supported by their manager? If they need something, do they feel comfortable asking for it? Does management anticipate employee needs or ask first? As employees try to grow their careers, support from leaders is the key to success.

When asked about management growth opportunities, 31.4% of employees with replaceable managers say their leader should work on supportiveness. Being supportive is one of the top ways to become irreplaceable since it’s the top word employees use to describe that management style. Here are ways to hone this skill:

• Ask About Needs: Regularly check in with team members to understand what support they need to succeed professionally and personally.
• Provide Resources: Ensure your team has the tools, time, and training required to do their jobs effectively.
• Be Approachable: Maintain an open-door policy (virtually or in person), so employees feel comfortable coming to you with challenges or ideas.
• Celebrate Wins: Take time to acknowledge team accomplishments, reinforcing that you value their efforts.
• Offer Mentorship: Help team members achieve their goals by sharing your knowledge, giving career guidance, and advocating for their growth.

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The Future Of Leadership: Moving Beyond Replaceable Managers

Management matters. Having a few managers who slack off or create a bad environment might not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but they profoundly impact workers. Replaceable managers lead to burnout, turnover, job security fears, and even more layoffs for your organization.

Companies should help leaders by focusing on foundational skills like communication, leadership, accountability, fairness, and supportiveness. Great managers don’t just happen—they are built. Organizations that invest in these growth areas will reap the rewards of a thriving, motivated workforce.