Ask Women and Work

Question: My employer recently laid off two middle managers in my department. A colleague of mine said it was about “unbossing.” What does unbossing mean? And is it a good thing?

We asked Sumana Jeddy, CEO of Calgary-based Jeddy Wellness, to tackle this one:

Unbossing is the idea of moving away from a traditional management structure and reducing the gap between senior leadership and staff. In practice, that means getting rid of the middle layer of management to create a parallel approach where there are basically no managers. This structure aims to give employees more autonomy, allowing for more innovation and better employee engagement.

It can be about reducing costs, but it’s also a reaction to conversations about burnout in the workplace. We know employees want to make their own decisions. Burnout and disengagement can happen when there is no autonomy in the workplace. So, the idea is to eliminate middle management and give employees total autonomy.

In certain industries, I think this approach can work. Too many layers of management can create role ambiguity and confusion in teams. Flattening organizational structures might help create more ownership and empower employees to say, ‘I am responsible to do the work.’ But in others, I think it could be very challenging. I work in health care, for example, and not everyone in senior leadership in health care has a medical degree. Middle managers can be important communicators; a conduit between what’s happening in leadership and what’s happening within the team.

Also, many employees need direction and support, especially employees who are not self-driven. We all work so differently, and this is especially important as more people identify as neurodivergent. Some individuals want managers to check their work and make sure they’re strategically positioned. Middle managers aren’t just administrative figures, they provide leadership and advocate for their staff. They know the issues their staff is facing better than their boss’s boss.

If organizations cut middle managers, they might lose out on critical information. Not all junior employees will feel comfortable going to a senior executive or VP to say, ‘These are our problems.’ That trust just isn’t there. When you go to a town-hall meeting with your senior leaders, how many people actually raise their hand?

Workplaces are trying to find solutions to problems of burnout. And I think unbossing can work. With the right strategies and support, it is possible to transform some of these roles and create a more inclusive, engaged workplace. But it can go too far. Before an organization brings in this trend, it’s important for them to understand: What role does this manager play to keep my workplace functioning? Don’t start firing middle managers because you want to save on costs. There are some managers that absolutely need to need to stay where they are.

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