New Delhi: Chinese youth are turning down leadership opportunities in middle-management positions, opting instead to stick to their current roles to avoid work pressure. This trend of ‘conscious unbossing’ has recently gained traction on Chinese social media, with many users chronicling reasons why they turn down lucrative career opportunities, according to South China Morning Post.
A large number of posts on social media reveal that the movement is fuelled by feelings of insufficient rewards for greater responsibilities, higher levels of stress, and a distaste for organisational hierarchy associated with middle-management positions.
“After becoming a temporary team leader, I earned only 100 yuan (US$15) more per month, but whenever something went wrong, I was the one held accountable,” wrote a user on Chinese social media.
Another user, June, told media platform 36Kr that she turned down three promotions during her 10-year long career.
The reasons ranged from choosing travel over a new role and feeling overwhelmed by the increased workload to receiving a promotion without a significant pay increase.
Users also posted scripts to help fellow workers decline workers politely.
Some cited insufficient readiness while others said they were seeking better compensation of recognition of work in their current roles.
Young workers insist that rejecting a promotion in professional spaces does not necessarily signify a rejection of ambition or growth altogether. It simply points to a changing conception of how the youth sees personal development.
“Growth isn’t always about climbing higher; it can also involve internal development. I aspire to have a stable and manageable job that grants me more time for my interests and family,” wrote a user.
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Not just a Chinese trend
This trend is not limited to China alone. A 2024 study by UK-based firm Robert Walters North found that while 52 per cent of Gen Z respondents do not aspire to become middle managers, 69 per cent of them perceive these roles as characterised by high-stress levels and minimal rewards. The same study showed that 72 per cent of the youth would choose personal development over managing others.
“It’s not that Gen Z doesn’t respect leadership,” Lucy Bisset, Director of Robert Walters North, told Forbes. “It’s that they associate management with stress, limited autonomy, and poor work-life balance.”
Cautioning employers against the declining appeal for middle management, Bisset urged employers to rethink their strategies surrounding how they design these positions.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)