UK leaders fear becoming obsolete at work

Alliance Manchester Business School has published new research suggesting that pressure at the top of UK organisations is being shaped by more than workload alone, with senior decision-makers reporting weekly stress, rising role complexity, and growing concern about staying relevant as business expectations shift.

The research, commissioned by AMBS and carried out by Censuswide, surveyed 500 managers, directors, and C-suite executives working in UK businesses. It found that 67% experience work-related stress at least once a week. That figure rose to 73% among decision-makers aged 25 to 34, and to 74% among those working in organisations with more than 250 employees.

The findings sit alongside a wider sense of professional strain. Nearly three quarters of respondents, 73%, said their role has become increasingly complex over the past five years. Two in five, 40%, said they regularly doubt their own judgement at work, while 55% said they are concerned about remaining relevant and competent as the business and management landscape evolves.

Rather than pointing to a single source of pressure, the survey suggests a convergence of demands. Senior leaders are being asked to make decisions in environments shaped by AI, digital transformation, changing workplace cultures, and persistent expectations around performance. In that context, the data indicates that stress is being felt not only as workload, but also as uncertainty about capability, pace, and whether established management instincts still hold.

Elinor O’Connor, Professor of Work Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “Stress and responsibility are often seen as going hand-in-hand within businesses — to hold a senior management role and lead on decisions comes, many would say, with a degree of pressure and potential stress. This research, however, highlights far deeper concerns among managers and leaders. As the business world evolves at pace, with new technologies, working habits and workplace cultures to contend with, there is evidently widespread fear about remaining relevant and competent. That so many (40%) regularly question their judgement might not be a bad thing — introspection can be healthy in leadership — but this is clearly coupled with worries for most (55%) about whether they will get left behind as the business landscape shifts significantly.”

The training priorities in the research reinforce that reading. Asked what forms of formal training would most benefit them in their jobs, the most common answer was understanding AI and how best to leverage it, selected by 40% of respondents as one of their top three needs. Managing digital transformation projects and combatting stress, improving resilience, and mental wellbeing followed jointly on 32%.

AMBS said the results reflect rising demand for practical, short-format executive education focused on applying data, AI, and strategic thinking to complex real-world business challenges. The survey’s message is that senior decision-makers are not simply asking for more technical knowledge. They are also looking for support that helps them navigate judgement, resilience, and organisational change at the same time.