Gartner HR Survey Finds 47% of Managers Say They Are Working Harder Than One Year Ago

• Managers Who Focus on Performance First Are 20% More Likely to Meet Performance Goals
• Employees with Performance‑Focused Managers Are More Satisfied with Their Work Experience

Forty-seven percent of managers say that more is expected of them, and they must work harder today compared to one year ago, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

Gartner surveyed 2,947 employees and managers from November and December 2025 to uncover the managerial approaches best suited to deliver business results while ensuring a satisfactory employee experience in the context of changing organizational offerings.

“While managers are working harder today, 66% say that their primary responsibility is managing the people on their teams above driving progress toward organizational goals and priorities,” said Tony Guadagni, Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “In fact, the average manager reports spending nearly one-quarter of their time engaging with employees on personal and emotional issues.”

This imbalance comes as managers face increasing pressure to deliver results in an uncertain economy marked by rapid technological change. The Gartner survey found that 62% of managers feel obligated to protect their teams, while 45% say they have made decisions that prioritize employee interests over those of the business.

The current people-first management framework gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as the lines between work and home blurred. In response, employee engagement and retention rose to the top of executive agendas, and organizations expanded flexibility and other benefits to meet evolving expectations.

“Today, business leaders are contending with a persistently fragile economy, the disruptive integration of GenAI and rising geopolitical volatility,” said Tess Lawrence, Principal Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “As a result, performance and productivity have moved ahead of engagement and retention as top workforce priorities.”

CHROs must lead a pivot to performance‑first management, where business outcomes and productivity anchor the manager‑employee relationship, while empathy, support and flexibility are applied more strategically.

To enable a performance-first management approach, CHROs should take three actions:

The Gartner survey revealed that only 39% of employees agree that their manager is effective at providing clear developmental feedback and just 41% feel their manager helps them prioritize their work.

To bridge this gap, progressive organizations are shifting manager selection and training toward the tactical and operational components of the managerial role. Though these may vary by industry and function, core performance-first management fundamentals should include things like: dynamic resource allocation, bandwidth management, AI integration, and career facilitation.

“Despite having less authority over perks and policies, 72% of managers still say delivering a positive employee experience is their primary responsibility,” said Guadagni. “Managers spend an average of nine hours a week, which equates to more than 20% of their working time, addressing employees’ personal and emotional concerns.”

CHROs can help reset expectations by acknowledging that some employee dissatisfaction is inevitable during periods of significant change. Instead of trying to resolve personal discontent, managers are encouraged to focus on factors they can control: aligning work with employee interests, reinforcing perceptions of fairness, helping teams prioritize, and recognizing contributions. 

While the benefits of a strong relationship between managers and employees are well documented, for many managers, a personal affinity for employees can lead to a “loyalty trap” that runs at odds with the best interests of the organization.

To drive success today, leading CHROs are focused on resetting manager objectivity, shifting the primary loyalty from the individual employee to the collective mission of the team. This is not about devaluing individual relationships, but about aligning them with the performance-first management framework. To build more objective managers, CHROs need to be prepared to offer holistic training, tools and consistent reinforcement to help managers make business-first decisions as they manage their teams.

Gartner clients can read more in the report: From People-First to Performance-First: Rethinking Manager Effectiveness.