Managers are being asked to do more, with less time, and fewer people to help them do it. That squeeze is now a retention risk in its own right. Flatter structures, wider spans of control, and rising expectations have left many managers stretched across more direct reports, more admin, and more decisions than the role was ever designed for. The result is less time for the work that actually matters: coaching, feedback, and paying attention to the people on their team. AI is now being pitched as the fix, but tool overload can just as easily add to the squeeze as relieve it. This session looks at how HR leaders are using AI to genuinely ease the management squeeze, not by adding another dashboard, but by cutting the operational load that crowds out real leadership. Attendees will learn where AI can take over prep, synthesis, and admin, freeing managers to spend their time on the judgement calls and conversations that can't be automated. Key takeaways: - Learn why growing spans of control and administrative load are quietly eroding manager effectiveness and retention. - Explore where AI can absorb operational work such as scheduling, summarising, drafting, and reporting, so managers get time back. - Understand the difference between AI that adds capacity for managers and AI that adds another tool to manage. - Discover how to equip managers to reclaim time for coaching, feedback, and the human judgement their teams need most.