💜 Managing People Takes Time. Here’s How Much.

Hello and happy Thursday,

Lately, I’ve been hearing the same story from so many companies: layoffs are still happening, yet somehow teams are growing.

That five-person crew? Suddenly, it’s 20. And managers are left trying to steer a much bigger ship, all while managing their own workload. Sound familiar?

We know budgets are tight. But here’s the hard truth: when managers don’t have time to actually manage, it shows. Burnout creeps in. Psychological safety takes a hit. Turnover starts to rise.

And the data backs this up. UKG’s Managers and Money study found that nearly 70% of managers say workplace stress harms their physical health, and 43% say it impacts their mental health. Even more telling? One in four would take a pay cut for a role that better supported their mental well-being.

In my conversations, one theme stands out: too much responsibility, not enough support. It’s a recipe for exhaustion, for both managers and their teams.

So today, we’re talking about what it really takes to give managers the time, resources, and trust they need to lead well. Because when we get this right, everyone benefits.

Yours in creating time for what matters,
Jill

P.S. I’m hosting an event in September and would love to see you there!

The Real Cost of Manager Burnout

The signs aren’t always obvious at first. A few skipped 1:1s here. A delayed piece of feedback there. But over time, something starts to shift.

Managers aren’t just busy, they’re running on fumes. And when that happens, it doesn’t just affect them, it seeps into the team. Decisions become more reactive. Recognition gets rare. Feedback slows to a trickle. Engagement dips. High performers quietly start looking elsewhere.

And perhaps most importantly, culture suffers. Not because people stop caring, but because there’s no time left to tend to it.

In our work with organizations of all sizes, one pattern has been crystal clear: a manager’s leadership quality is directly tied to the time they have available to lead. When that time gets squeezed, the whole team feels the pressure.

So...How Much Time Does it Really Take to Manage Someone?

It’s a deceptively simple question. One that gets asked often but rarely answered with intention. How much time should it take to support, guide, and grow a team member?

Think for a moment about what good management really includes. It’s the regular 1:1s that keep communication open, feedback that’s both timely and specific, and coaching conversations that help someone navigate roadblocks. It’s the recognition that feels personal, the career conversations that build trust and direction, and the preparation and follow-up that make all of those moments matter.

Now ask yourself: are those moments scheduled as part of a manager’s role? Or are they expected to fit those tasks in around everything else?

This is where so many organizations go wrong. They assume people management is something that happens in the margins… on the side of a manager’s “real work.” But if you’ve ever seen a truly great manager in action, you know it’s anything but a side task.

This is exactly why I created the 10% Rule.

The 10% Rule for Managers’ Time

I originally introduced this concept in September of 2023 and it stuck:

In other words, if you manage two people, 20% of your time, roughly one full day each week, should be dedicated to managing them well. If you manage five people, it’s 50%. If you’re managing eight, it’s 80%.

And if you’re managing more than eight people? You’re in trouble.

Here’s the second part of the rule: managers should have no more than seven direct reports at any given time. Maybe eight, if your team’s structure and responsibilities are unusually low-complexity. Beyond that, there simply isn’t enough time in the week for a manager to lead with the depth and consistency their team deserves.

Once you see the math, it becomes crystal clear: it’s unrealistic to expect a manager to lead 10+ people and still be an effective, present people leader.

This isn’t about creating unnecessary overhead or slowing things down with more layers of management. It’s about designing a system where the most important leadership functions, those that directly impact employee experience, actually have the space to exist.

The Consequences of Oversized Teams

I’ve seen this play out over and over again. A team grows quickly, but the management layer doesn’t keep pace. Suddenly, one person is responsible for overseeing a dozen or more direct reports. At first, it seems fine, maybe even efficient. But over time, cracks start to form.

That manager begins to cancel 1:1s in favor of more “urgent” work. Feedback becomes reactive instead of proactive. Career conversations happen less frequently (or not at all) and the team starts to feel directionless or unsupported.

And worst of all, people will start to leave.

What’s heartbreaking is that this is often preventable. With better expectations, smarter structures, and clear boundaries around a manager’s role, we can avoid the downward spiral.

It’s not that the manager failed. It’s that we as leadership asked them to do the impossible.

Making the Business Case to Leadership

Let’s pause for a moment and acknowledge something important: implementing the 10% Rule isn’t always easy. It requires real shifts in mindset, budgeting, workload distribution, and often in headcount planning. For leaders trying to do more with less, the idea of allocating that much time to people management might feel like a luxury.

But here’s where we need to reframe the conversation.

Allocating time for people management isn’t a perk. It’s protection. It’s an investment in the long-term health and productivity of your teams. It’s a lever for reducing burnout, improving retention, and building a culture where high performance and humanity can coexist.

If you’re trying to make the case internally, don’t just talk about feelings. Talk about cost. What does it cost your organization when a great team member walks out the door? When a new hire doesn’t get the support they need and exits within six months? When a disengaged team misses their goals because they lacked direction?

So, if your CFO needs a business case? Ask them to calculate the cost of turnover. Then compare that to the cost of adding one additional manager or restructuring a bloated org chart. The math will speak for itself.

Where to Begin: A Quick and Practical Audit

If you’re ready to take a first step, start by doing a quick audit of your current structure. Block off 20 minutes, pull up your org chart, and take a look at how many direct reports each manager currently has.

Notice who has eight or more to identify which teams are stretched the most. Ask yourself what similarities exist among those teams. Are they in the same department? Do they support newer employees or high-growth initiatives? Are engagement scores lower in those groups?

You might also overlay this with additional data points like retention rates, performance trends, or recent exit interviews. Often, the connection between span of control and employee experience is clearer than you’d expect.

This kind of data doesn’t just help you understand where the pressure points are, it gives you a compelling story to take to your leadership team.

What If You Can’t Do 10% Yet?

We hear this one a lot: “We’re on board, but we’re just not resourced enough to give managers that much time right now.”

That’s okay.

Start with 5%.

Seriously. If 10% feels out of reach, pick a smaller number and treat it as a pilot. Give your managers a little more time to manage and track what happens. Do they hold more consistent 1:1s? Do their teams show higher engagement or productivity? Are performance conversations happening earlier and with more clarity?

Small shifts often yield big results. And once those results are visible, you’ll have a much stronger foundation to advocate for expanding the approach.

In our experience, just getting people to treat people management as real, scheduled work (not “bonus” work) is a meaningful step forward.

Wrapping Things Up

We know change is hard. Shifting expectations, adjusting budgets, and rethinking how work gets done can feel overwhelming, especially in fast-paced, resource-constrained environments.

But if we want better workplaces, we have to start with better support for the people leading them. That means giving managers not just the title, but the time to lead well.

Because here’s the truth: management isn’t something you can tack onto the side of someone’s to-do list. It’s a job. A hard one. And when done well, it’s the difference between teams that flounder and teams that fly.

So here’s your nudge: pull up that org chart. Run the numbers. Share this newsletter with your executive team. Start the conversation.

And if you need a little help? We’ve got a free worksheet to get you started.

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