The Big Mac Manager (And Why Change Feels Like a Threat)

My wife suggested McDonald's for tea tonight.

Simple enough. Guest on the way back, cold winter evening, quick meal sorted.

But then I made a mistake. I looked at the menu.

They've got this "Friends" special on right now. Made me smile—Friends was one of the first shows my wife got me into when we met. But I'm not here to talk about sitcoms.

I'm here to talk about the Big Arch.

That's McDonald's latest burger—their attempt to get me to try something different instead of my usual Big Mac.

I thought, "Right. I'll try it."

The Big Mac Problem

Here's the thing about me and McDonald's.

I've had a Big Mac meal since I was 16. That's when I first walked into a McDonald's—not as a customer, but looking for a job. My mate said they were hiring students, and I needed part-time work.

I'd never heard of them before.

Yes, I'm showing my age. That was nearly 40 years ago. Now you can't turn a corner in the UK without bumping into one.

But the point is this: I know what I'm getting with a Big Mac.

I know what it looks like. I know how it's made. They made it the same way 40 years ago when I worked there, and they still do.

My wife thinks it's funny, but I even eat my McDonald's in a certain way. Fries first. Then the burger. I don't touch the burger until the fries are gone.

She's never understood this. We've been together over 20 years, married nearly 10, and she still thinks I eat McDonald's strangely.

But I like the comfort of knowing how to do it and what I'll get.

Over the years, McDonald's has tried to tempt me with different burgers. The Big Arch is just the latest. But I always come back to the Big Mac.

Often, I won't even be persuaded to try something else.

The Managers Who Can't Adapt to Change

This reminds me of some of the managers I work with.

We're currently living in a time where, in management, you can't really do what you've always done. It's not enough anymore.

It would have been fine before, doing it the way you've always done it. Because it always delivered the results needed. Just like me and my Big Mac.

It always satisfied. To the degree that McDonald's ever satisfies you.

But now?

I've been reading research this week about how many meetings managers are expected to attend nowadays.

260 meetings a year.

That's the average.

When I was a manager, meetings were manageable. You understood, you communicated. We used to complain there were too many, but we got on with it.

But 260?

One stat said managers spend 75% of their working week in meetings.

That doesn't sound proportionate, does it?

Is there really only 25% left to actually do what's being discussed in those meetings?

I can see how that's adding pressure. Onto people. Onto the managers. Onto their direct reports.

Because time is being squeezed.

And not in an obvious way. It's not a cut in hours. But it's a cut in available time to think, to plan, to actually manage.

And so more pressure builds. And people are feeling it more and more.

The Support That Isn't There

I was reading a different article this week about how managers have been promoted into management roles without experience supporting their team's mental health. And no guidance. Or very little guidance that they feel they can actually use.

This reminded me—I've been working this week on a new programme that's about to launch. All about practical techniques for managing yourself and understanding your team.

Techniques at that level where they help how we think, how we act, how we see situations, and how to understand our people.

Because our people are different.

We're all very different, and we all react very differently to pressure.

What is pressure for one person isn't necessarily pressure for someone else.

Why Some People Thrive on Change (And Others Don't)

The change for me—from a Big Mac to a different burger—is uncomfortable.

But for others, it's a venture. It's variety. It's excitement. It's exactly what they've been waiting for.

So you have to remember all the individuals that we are and that we manage.

We can't treat them all the same. They're not all the Big Mac.

For some, workplace pressure will be too much. It'll drain them. It'll send them home exhausted every night, wondering if they're cut out for this.

For others, that same pressure will be excitement. Exhilaration. A challenge that helps them achieve that next level.

The Question Nobody's Asking

As I sit here waiting for my McDonald's to arrive back, I've pondered.

Will I embrace the change of the Big Arch?

Or will I sit and regret all evening that I didn't stick with my Big Mac?

For me, it'll probably be fine. It's just a burger.

But if you start adding these things up—the 260 meetings, the mounting pressure, the lack of support, the expectation to manage 12+ people with no training on how to handle their mental health—these aren't just burgers.

These are things that people take home every single night.

And that pressure grows and grows.

What We're Missing About Mental Health at Work

Mental health is as important as physical health. But often much harder to see.

If someone breaks their leg, you know. You see the cast. You adjust their workload. You understand.

But if someone's breaking under pressure? If they're drowning in meetings and expectations and feeling like they're failing?

You might not know until they hand in their notice. Or worse, until they can't get out of bed one Monday morning.

So we need to keep an eye out. And make sure people are okay with the change being demanded of them.

And if they're not—and if it's possible—they can comfortably revert back to what works for them.

Or at the very least, they're given the tools to handle it.

The Real Problem With Workplace Change

Because right now, too many managers are being handed the Big Arch when all they know is the Big Mac.

And nobody's showing them how to eat it.

Nobody's saying, "Here's how to manage 260 meetings without losing your mind."

Nobody's saying, "Here's how to support someone's mental health when you've never been trained."

Nobody's saying, "Here's how to handle the pressure of being told to do more with less, every single quarter."

They're just expected to figure it out.

And when they can't? When they struggle? When they burn out?

They're told they're not resilient enough. Not adaptable enough. Not leadership material.

But that's not a capability problem. That's a support problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some managers struggle with change more than others?

It's not about weakness or capability—it's about how we're wired. Some people thrive on variety and new challenges (they're energised by the unknown), while others find comfort in consistency and proven methods (they're drained by constant change). Neither is wrong. But organisations often treat resistance to change as a personal failing when it's actually a mismatch between someone's natural operating style and the demands being placed on them.

How many meetings are too many for managers?

Research shows the average manager now attends 260 meetings per year, with some spending 75% of their working week in meetings. That leaves only 25% of time for actual management work—planning, coaching, problem-solving, and strategic thinking. When meeting load exceeds 50% of working time, managers report feeling like they're "managing in the gaps" rather than actually leading their teams.

What should managers do if they're expected to support mental health without training?

First, recognise that you're not expected to be a therapist—you're expected to notice, care, and signify concerns appropriately. Start with: creating psychological safety (making it okay to say "I'm struggling"), checking in regularly beyond task updates, learning to spot warning signs (withdrawal, irritability, performance drops), and knowing when to escalate to HR or occupational health. The problem isn't that managers lack training—it's that they're told it's their responsibility without being given the tools.

How can organisations support managers through constant change?

Stop treating change management as "communication and rollout." Real support means: reducing unnecessary change (not everything needs to be different), giving managers time to adapt before the next change hits, providing training before implementation (not after), acknowledging that some people will need more support than others, and creating space for managers to say "this isn't working" without career consequences. Change fatigue is real, and pretending everyone should just "be more agile" doesn't solve it.

What are the warning signs of manager burnout?

Watch for: increased cynicism about work or the organisation, exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest, reduced performance despite working longer hours, withdrawal from colleagues or team interactions, increased irritability or emotional reactions, difficulty making decisions that used to be straightforward, and feeling like nothing you do makes a difference. If you recognise these in yourself, you're not failing—you're experiencing a predictable response to unsustainable pressure.

The Choice We're Not Giving People

Some of us are Big Mac people. We like what we know. We find comfort in consistency.

Others are Big Arch people. They want variety. They want to try new things.

Neither is better. Neither is worse.

But if you force a Big Mac person to eat the Big Arch every single day, with no choice, no support, and no acknowledgement that this is hard for them?

Eventually, they'll stop coming to McDonald's altogether.

And that's what we're doing to managers right now.

We're demanding constant change. More meetings. More pressure. More responsibility for people's mental health with no training. More expectations with less time.

And then we wonder why they're burning out.

If you're a manager who feels like you're being handed the Big Arch when all you know is the Big Mac, come join The Empowered Leader's Circle.

It's free, and it's where we help managers handle the pressure without pretending it doesn't exist.

You can find it here: [ei-unleashed.com/community]

And if you're tired of being told to "just be more resilient" when what you actually need are practical tools to manage yourself and your team—I've got something for you.

EI-Unleashed in Action is launching next week. It's not generic leadership theory. It's the techniques that work when you're drowning in meetings, expected to support mental health you weren't trained for, and wondering why nobody told you management would be this hard.

Early access to community members first. Keep an eye out.

Stop pretending change is easy. Start giving yourself the tools to handle it.

Jon Manning
Former Retail Operations Manager | Author of Emotional Intelligence Unleashed (I made every mistake first)