Conscious Unbossing Isn’t Going Away—Here’s What You Should Know

Gen Z loves to coin a new phrase, and if headlines tell us anything, the office is their favorite place to establish a new vernacular. Like quiet quitting and bare minimum Mondays before it, conscious unbossing arrived on WorkTok and quickly made its way into the workplace.  

If you’re unfamiliar, conscious unbossing isn’t just a throwback reference to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s heavily mocked divorce ethos—it also refers to the choice 57% of Gen Z Canadians are making to forgo the management track at work. This trend extends into the U.S. and U.K. as well.   

Conscious unbossing represents a growing desire to avoid the politics required to climb the corporate management ladder—just to potentially end up stressed out, overworked and underpaid. But that doesn’t mean these workers are unmotivated, untalented, or uninterested in growing their careers. It simply means they prefer executing tasks themselves rather than overseeing tasks. 

And this preference is not without sound economic reasoning, either. 

Middle management positions have shrunk in recent years, with Bloomberg reporting that middle managers made up 33% of terminations in the U.S. in 2024—up from 20% in 2018. 

And that stat rings true if we look at Indeed job listing data comparing management roles to those that rely heavily on independent contributors: 

Management vs. Independent Contributor Job Postings in Canada

As the graph shows, management opportunities have consistently declined since their peak in 2022. 

While U.S. data on this trend isn’t available, a survey from Robert Walters shows 57% of Gen Z Canadians don’t want to pursue the management track, with 60% noting they would prefer an individual route to career progression. In the U.K. the stats are similar, with 52% of Gen Z uninterested in climbing the manager ladder. 

Gen Z workers only have to look at their Millennial bosses who have stepped down from management to understand why the management track might not be worth pursuing. 

Kelly Pasolli, 37, worked as a senior researcher at a policy firm in an individual contributor capacity before moving into a director role, where she managed seven direct reports. But she eventually found herself missing the work she used to do before accepting the director position.

“I like spending a lot of time doing uninterrupted, deep work, which I find is hard to do as a manager,” Pasolli explained. When feelings of jealousy toward the independent contributors she was managing started to pop up, she knew it was time to step back.

Pasolli informed senior leadership of her preference to move away from management, expecting a pay cut—but because she had proven herself a key member of the team, they let her create a new role as a senior advisor, where she was able to keep her director-level salary. 

As the conscious unbossing movement grows, more companies are taking notice. 

A new kind of promotion track is popping up in some companies around the world, known as dual-track promotions—one track for management and another for individual contributors. This allows organizations to play to workers’ individual strengths and preferences instead of requiring a pivot to management in order to receive a raise. Dual-track promotion plans ensure individual contributors can also grow their title and salary on a regular basis. 

Shopify is known for implementing a successful dual-track promotion plan, and tech company Aftership has recently followed suit.

 Aftership’s Tommy Xaio, head of people, believes this option allows the company to retain the best talent: “We know that forcing someone to become a manager kind of pigeonholes them.”

💅 Are you consciously unbossing? 🏆 Have you ever stepped down from a management role? 🪜Does your company offer dual-track promotion plans? 🏅We'd love to hear from you in the comments. ✍️

📚 Go deeper into the story—find our Canada report here, and our U.S. analysis here.

Middle Management Not For You? Consider Being Your Own Boss Instead  

Indeed podcast hosts Gina and Jenn understand the nuances between freelance, entrepreneur and corporate life. If you’re unsure which path is right for you, they can help. 

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Keep the Conversation Going

👋 That's all for this issue. Which track do you prefer—individual contributor or management? Share your insights in the comments. 💬

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