The Emotional Life of Organisations
“I hate this job.”
“Me too.”
It was one of those conversations that happens after a meeting has finished and most people have left the room.
Neither person sounded angry. Neither was looking for sympathy. Neither was planning to resign.
“What would you do instead?”
“I don't know.”
“Would another organisation be any different?”
“Probably not.”
You might expect this conversation to be taking place between two disgruntled employees.
It wasn't.
Both were middle managers. Both had worked for the organisation for more than ten years. Both were experienced, respected and reliable. Neither had a reputation as a complainer. They got on well with colleagues, spoke positively about their teams and had no particular criticism of their line manager.
They simply hated their jobs.
Not enough to leave.
Not enough to stop doing them professionally.
Just enough to resent them.
Most organisations worry about the people who leave. Perhaps they should spend more time thinking about the people who stay.
These managers were not burned out. They were not underperforming. They were not on the verge of quitting.
They were functioning perfectly well.
That is what makes resentment so easy to miss.
Competence disguises it.
The job had not become impossible.
It had become empty.
The job still carried the same title. It no longer felt like the same profession.
Few people become managers because they dream of spending their days updating systems, completing compliance returns, attending status meetings and explaining decisions they did not make. Most become managers because they want to exercise judgement, solve problems, improve services and lead people.
Yet many organisations have gradually removed precisely those parts of the role.
Managers remain accountable for performance, budgets, staff wellbeing and delivery. But many feel less able than ever to exercise professional judgement. They are trusted to deliver outcomes but increasingly not trusted to decide how those outcomes are achieved.
Many organisations have spent years talking about empowerment while simultaneously increasing oversight, controls and reporting requirements.
Nobody comes back from annual leave and suddenly hates their job.
It happens more slowly than that.
A little more bureaucracy.
A little less discretion.
Another approval process.
Another mandatory report.
Another decision moved upwards.
Another responsibility moved downwards.
A reorganisation that promised empowerment and delivered another layer of oversight.
A transformation programme that changed the language but not the reality.
One disappointment is manageable.
Ten years of disappointments can change how people feel about their work.
The striking thing is how often senior leaders fail to notice.
These managers continue to perform. They meet deadlines. They manage budgets. They support their teams. They remain professional.
The resentment is largely invisible because professionalism hides it.
Leaders often assume that if performance is being maintained then commitment must still exist.
But compliance is not the same as belief.
You hear the difference in conversations.
The raised eyebrow when a new strategy is launched.
The weary laugh when another transformation programme is announced.
The phrase “we’ll see” delivered in exactly the right tone.
Not open rebellion.
Not sabotage.
Just a quiet conviction that very little is going to improve.
And that mood spreads.
Middle managers are the people organisations rely upon to translate ambition into reality. They explain change, create commitment and help teams make sense of uncertainty.
When they become resentful, something important happens to the organisation itself.
The messages are still delivered.
The enthusiasm disappears.
The organisation keeps moving, but with less energy, less trust and less belief in its own future.
The irony is that these managers are often exactly the people organisations depend upon most. Experienced enough to know how things really work. Professional enough to keep going. Loyal enough to stay.
Which means the resentment can sit there for years, hidden beneath competent performance.
People rarely become resentful for no reason.
Usually something important has been taken out of the job.
Resentment rarely appears on an organisational risk register.
Yet it may influence more decisions than many of the risks that do.
The people who leave create vacancies.
The people who stay resentful create culture.
