Middle management has historically been undervalued, perpetuated by recent tech layoffs where middle managers were most impacted. Further, there’s reason to believe UX professionals were among the most affected. Beyond layoffs, research indicates about half of middle managers expect to quit in the next year due to high levels of burnout.

This is problematic because middle managers bring tremendous value to the company. They operationalize and oversee the execution of senior management requests while mentoring junior staff. So, what if we reframed this lens to reflect that middle management is magnificent accurately?

In this panel discussion, middle managers in UX will discuss the historical context shaping current perceptions of middle managers, the repercussions of recent layoffs, the value these employees bring to organizations, particularly within UX teams, and case studies that recognize and prioritize the magnificent middle.