In many companies, the day begins with meetings, urgent emails, decisions to be made quickly. Managers keep the pace, set the direction, sometimes until very late in the evening. Behind this facade, the figures tell something else: more than 1 in 2 managers today say they are in psychological distress.
According to the Apec study on the mental health of managers, 1 in 3 executives describe intense stress, anxiety, irritability or regular exhaustion. However, these signals often remain invisible to the hierarchy and the teams. Why do these leaders, accustomed to speaking out, remain so silent about their own difficulties?
Mental health of managers: a massive but hidden malaise
The OpinionWay surveys for Empreinte Humaine mention 52% of managers in psychological distress, while Malakoff Humanis notes that 32% of long work stoppages at home are linked to psychological disorders. The SSTRN survey reveals that nearly 7 out of 10 managers regularly face discomfort in their teams.
In theory, these figures would be enough to trigger an emergency plan. In fact, many companies focus their prevention actions on non-supervisory employees. The manager remains perceived as a solid relay, supposed to absorb pressure and protect the collective. His own mental health at work then takes a back seat, sometimes to the point of breakdown.
Culture of invulnerability: when speaking out feels like an admission of incompetence
The Apec study describes a true culture of invulnerability: the right executive would be one who takes everything, remains available and efficient, whatever the level of load. 58% of executive-managers report intense stress, more than other executives, but continue to be impeccable. To say that they can no longer do it is, in their minds, to undermine their legitimacy.
A column published in Le Monde sums up this taboo in a shocking sentence: “Managers prefer to wall themselves in silence to avoid appearing incompetent by revealing their flaws”, analyzes the daily. Many fear being judged fragile, unreliable, or even hampering their careers. Some continue their activity despite insomnia, crying spells or significant physical pain, rather than asking for help.
Breaking the silence: legal protections and concrete actions for managers
The Labor Code requires the employer to protect mental health as well as physical health, by acting on psychosocial risks. Several large groups have set up QVCT programs, psychological helplines or coaching for their managers. There remains a key condition: guarantee confidentiality, the absence of sanctions, and also train managers’ superiors to receive these alerts.
On the individual side, identifying exhaustion remains decisive: irritability, isolation, ruminations, inability to wake up in the evening. A manager can choose to speak first to their occupational physician, then to their N+1 or to HR, focusing the discussion on the tenable duration of their position and the necessary resources. Little by little, this type of speech makes more human leadership possible.