Middle managers burning out due to AI, other mounting pressures

• Key Insight: Discover how AI-driven productivity gains correlate with rising burnout and demand human-centric implementation.
• What's at Stake: Operational risk and retention suffer if employers fail to recalibrate support and training.
• Forward Look: Prepare for expanded financial and mental-health benefits alongside AI upskilling requirements.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

A larger share of workers are experiencing low well-being than in the previous two years, according to a new survey from WebMD Health Services, which found those reporting the condition jumped nearly 40% over the past two years, and many saying they still aren't getting the support they need from their employers. 

Just one in 10 individual contributors report being highly engaged at work, compared with nearly one in three senior leaders, the 2026 Workplace and Employee Survey Report found. The vast majority (80%) of workers are using AI, and those who strongly agree that the technology makes them more productive are four and a half times more likely to experience burnout. 

Middle managers, who are often tasked with bridging the gap between leadership and frontline employees, are experiencing the highest levels of burnout, with rates more than three times higher than those among individual contributors.

While there is no single explanation for declining employee well-being, workers today are navigating rapid technological change, shorter work cycles, and constantly evolving processes, said Erin Seaverson, senior director of the Center for Research at WebMD Health Services. 

Read more: Workers feel financial stress at work, cut back on benefits

"Ultimately, the compounding impact of these pressures hit at employees' sense of connection, security and psychological safety," Seaverson said. "One of the more telling findings of our research is that over one-third of employees feel that their organization is not providing adequate support to help them effectively navigate these changes." 

Seaverson recently spoke with Employee Benefit News about the findings of WebMD's new survey and how benefits leaders can improve employee well-being. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Why do employees who say AI makes them more productive also report much higher levels of burnout? 
The speed of AI adoption is unprecedented. Organizations expect employees to leverage new AI tools but are not sufficiently preparing and training them. The cognitive load put on employees is substantial. AI often amplifies work and workload. Employees are now processing more information, making more decisions, and managing more output than ever before. The pace itself becomes exhausting. And we can't ignore the human experience — the feeling of losing control over one's work, questioning that job security, concern over losing their core skills over to AI, and thinking about ways to reskill and upskill. 

This technology has incredible potential to positively disrupt the workplace and influence how work gets done. The question for employers to consider is this: how can they guide AI implementation through a human-centric lens, with guidance and guardrails for workflow and volume, training and upskilling, and organizational support for well-being? 

Middle managers appear to be carrying the heaviest burden. Why are they struggling more than other employees? 
Middle managers occupy a uniquely challenging position within organizations. They are the people who are supposed to be the bridge, the connective tissue between leadership and the frontline. Because they are expected to manage up and down, drive culture and champion strategy — we see these pressures impact their well-being, burnout and even engagement with work. 

As organizations have streamlined and adapted to rapid changes — like hybrid work and AI adoption — the scope of the middle manager has quietly ballooned. They are no longer just overseeing workflows; they are expected to be empathetic career coaches, change-management experts, and operational facilitators all at once. Unfortunately, companies frequently under-invest in specifically tailored support and development for this group. 

According to the survey, employees with high trust are far more engaged. What are the biggest things employers can do to build that trust? 
To build trust, organizations must demonstrate care by providing clear, consistent and intentional support. Employees feel cared for when they're kept informed about policies, plans and changes that affect them, when leadership values their input, and takes meaningful action based on that feedback. People also feel cared for when they get the necessary guidance and support from their manager, when there is psychological safety, and when they feel a sense of belonging within their organization. 

If an employer wants to improve employee well-being, where should they focus their benefits investments first? 
I always recommend starting with learning. Before building out any strategy, you need to know what you need to accomplish. Ultimately, the decision of where to invest will vary from organization to organization — it entirely depends on the specific, nuanced needs of your unique employee base. 

Work cross-functionally across HR, benefits, safety, operations, etc., to take inventory of the data available to you. Examples may include data sourced from health risk assessment, engagement surveys, medical and pharmacy claims, safety, etc. Looking holistically across all your various data sources is the only way to truly understand your needs and spot your greatest opportunities.  

Read more: Most workers feel resilient, but few are ready for financial shocks

Additionally, I recommend investing time to better understand what is currently available to employees. Catalog and audit the programs, benefits and resources that are in place. It may not be about adding more programs, but rather making deliberate and smart connections between the ones you already have. 

Are you seeing employers rethink their well-being strategies because of these trends? If so, what changes are becoming most common? 
Many organizations are prioritizing mental health support by creating more efficient avenues to access services and enabling resources across the spectrum of need, from low acuity to higher acuity. The focus seems to be on building both depth and breadth of personalized support and accessibility. 

I also see many organizations broadening their focus on financial well-being. With high rates of financial anxiety and low rates of financial well-being, it has become clear that support needs to go beyond retirement planning. Companies are thinking about support across the life and career stages, investing in financial coaching, emergency savings, and financial resiliency and empowerment.   

If benefits leaders remember just one takeaway from this report, what do you hope it is? 
Well-being is evolving, as is work and the workplace. Change is constant. For people to navigate through all the uncertainty that comes with change and maintain resiliency, they need to be well, and they need support from their employers to do so. The good news here is that research like this helps us better understand what employees actually need and expect from work. As employees we need to lean in, listen, and consider current strategies and explore what we may need to do differently.