First-line managers are the most stressed group because they lack support and connection from the company.

Judge against Microsoft Work Trend Index or similar research available as of 2022-05-24. True: the research shows first-line managers report the highest stress among the groups surveyed, and links this to a lack of support or connection from the company. Mostly true: first-line managers are among the most stressed or the most stressed, but the causal link is only correlational or less explicit. Mixed: they are highly stressed, but not the most stressed, or the cause is unsupported. Mostly false: a narrow finding is overstated, or the cause is stated as established without support. False: the data show first-line managers are not notably stressed, or another group is clearly the most stressed.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Managers say the return to the office puts them in a difficult spot HR Dive · 18 March 2022

   “Front-line managers say their companies are out of touch with employee expectations, putting them in a difficult position, according to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index report, released March 16. Additionally, 74% of managers surveyed said they don’t have the "influence or resources" to make changes for their teams.”

2. E2 Work Trend Index: Hybrid work as a new cultural norm - CEE Multi-Country News Center Microsoft (news.microsoft.com, CEE Multi-Country News Center) · 4 April 2022 Own record

   “54% of managers feel leadership is out of touch with employee expectations and 74% percent don’t feel they have the influence or resources they need to implement change for their team.”

3. E3 Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft Work Trend Index (WorkLab) · 16 March 2022 Own record

   “Employees with thriving relationships beyond their immediate team members say they’re more satisfied with their employer (76% versus 57%), more fulfilled by work (79% versus 59%), and have a more positive outlook on workplace stress (40% versus 30%) than those with weak organizational networks.”

4. E4 Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft WorkLab (Microsoft Work Trend Index) · 16 March 2022 Own record

   “Over half of managers (54%) feel leadership at their company is out of touch with employee expectations. And 74% say they don’t have the influence or resources they need to make changes on behalf of their team.”

5. E5 Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft WorkLab (Microsoft Work Trend Index) · 16 March 2022 Own record

   “The past two years have taught us that culture will stand or fall with managers. But many managers feel stuck between leadership and new employee expectations, and they feel powerless to drive change for their team.”

6. E6 Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft WorkLab (Microsoft Work Trend Index) · 16 March 2022 Own record

   “The Work Trend Index survey was conducted by an independent research firm, Edelman Data x Intelligence, among 31,102 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets between January 7, 2022 and February 16, 2022.”

7. E7 Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work Microsoft WorkLab (Microsoft Work Trend Index) · 16 March 2022 Own record

   “It does not include leaders who work in frontline settings such as hospitals, warehouses, retail settings, etc.”

8. E8 Microsoft’s Work Trend Index uncovers five urgent trends reshaping today’s workplace - Channel Post MEA Channel Post MEA · 9 May 2022

   “Over half of managers (54%) feel leadership at their company is out of touch with employee expectations. And 74% say they don’t have the influence or resources they need to make changes on behalf of their team.”

9. E9 Work Trend Index: Hybrid work as a new cultural norm - Source EMEA Microsoft News (Source EMEA) · 3 April 2022 Own record

   “54% of managers feel leadership is out of touch with employee expectations and 74% percent don’t feel they have the influence or resources they need to implement change for their team.”

The 2022 Work Trend Index and coverage of it (E2, E4, E8, E9) report that 54% of managers feel leadership is out of touch with employee expectations. They also report that 74% of managers lack the influence or resources to make changes for their teams, and that managers feel stuck between leadership and employees. None of the evidence measures stress by group or shows that first-line managers report the highest stress. The only stress figure (E3) compares workers with strong and weak organizational networks, not management levels. Because the evidence neither confirms nor contradicts the claimed stress ranking, the claim cannot be resolved.