Most companies have made up their mind about a middle manager’s career prospects within four years.

That’s the verdict of research by the international headhunter MRI, which interviewed 400 HR directors in the UK and US.

On average a middle manager is promoted to senior level after 4.7 years in the UK, but if they fail to get promoted, they become “career” middle managers with little chance of upward promotion.

The timeframe in the US is slightly slower, with middle managers taking 6.3 years to get promoted.

MRI senior vice president Steve Mills said: “It is critical managers accelerate their career progression by investigating the available opportunities at their company and positioning themselves as potential senior managers more aggressively.”