Work pressure, high burn-out rates, and labour shortages are highly topical health and education sector issues that put quality of public service provision under pressure.

People management by managers is often presented as a solution for these important societal issues. However, might it also be part of the problem? Can well-intended people management have unintended negative effects for employee performance and well-being?

This project systematically studies this dark side of people management in these sectors, provides insights that could help practitioners (line managers) find and provide an optimal level of support to their employees, and develops relevant tools to prevent the dark side from occurring.