OTSurveyWork (Reading, Mass.)2022

Psychosocial work environment and health when entering or leaving a managerial position.

Daniel Lundqvist

PMID 35938267

WHAT IT FOUND

New managers reported higher demands and more authority after entering the role.

Former managers moved into lower-demand work situations but kept high control and skill use. Burnout symptoms and flow did not change clearly.

Key findings

01Entering managers reported a significant increase in demands compared with the other groups, and an almost significant increase in decision authority compared with non-managers.

02Leaving managers moved from a high-demand, high-control work situation to a lower-demand, high-control work situation.

03Changes in burnout symptoms and flow at work were not statistically significant across the groups.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they found

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What it does not show

The entering manager group had only 31 people and the leaving manager group had only 21 people, so the estimates for these groups are less stable than for the large non-manager group. All data were self-reported, so the study captures perceptions of work environment and health rather than independent clinical or organizational measurements. The study did not record when people changed position or why they changed it, so the timing and reason for the transition could not be separated. All participants were first-line managers, so the results may not apply to middle or senior managers. The study adjusted for organization but did not examine differences within each organization. The demands measure was generic and did not separate types such as time-based or emotional demands. Follow-up was only two years, so longer-term health changes could not be seen. Response rates were 58% at Time 1 and 67% at follow-up, so not all employees were represented.

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