The UK wide survey reveals that over half don’t think their manager exhibits the right levels of confidence or possesses sufficient ability to do ‘the job’
Perhaps more worryingly, 38 per cent of employees report that their boss thinks he or she is good at what they do, suggesting that a ‘competence-confidence gap’ is undermining UK workplaces.
Today’s survey results imply that a lack of effective management and leadership is perpetuating a downbeat attitude in the workplace.
The figures show that almost 39 per cent feel their boss’ behaviour increases stress levels, just over a third complain that their boss negatively affects enjoyment of their job and one in ten blame their boss for declining health.
One of the biggest concerns in the survey is that employees feel their bosses are unapproachable. In the past month nearly two thirds have wanted to ask their boss for help making a decision, but have not been given the opportunity. This lack of support is clearly affecting performance and engagement, with nearly one in four regularly worrying about making decisions at work, one in three losing respect for their manager and 10% covering up mistakes that they have made.
Employees also complain their bosses aren’t offering them enough training to improve their own competence levels. Of the 40 per cent of employees who admitted to weaknesses in some areas of their job whilst 43 per cent are too afraid to approach their boss to talk about training to help them address weaknesses.
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute said: “Today’s results prove that managers must do more to meet their teams’ needs, if UK plc is to thrive.
“It is key that managers demonstrate both competence and confidence in their role if they are to make certain their teams are engaged and reaching their full potential. An engaged workforce means more commitment and higher productivity levels, not to mention lower levels of absenteeism and staff turnover. However, to engage employees we need managers who are fully committed to supporting their teams to meet their organisation’s objectives. With CMI’s research showing nearly two thirds of bosses are not making themselves available when their employees need help, this ideal is currently far from being achieved.
“It may be that the recession has created a ‘blame culture’ where bosses are scared to make decisions and their charges are scared to ask for help for fear of being seen as incompetent. Managers need to demonstrate they are secure in their ability to make wise, and sometimes brave, decisions if they are to engage their team and encourage them to succeed. An unfulfilled and stressed out workforce, which is lacking motivation and direction from its bosses, will not thrive. Managers need to be accessible, help their employees develop and feel confident in their ability to do their jobs well.”
In order to help managers assess their areas of weakness and engage their staff, CMI is launching a new service called ManagementKnow. Developed in association with Cognisco, the leading employee assessment organisation, it has been designed to help managers spot their weaknesses in performance management and employee engagement in order to ensure the harm they cause to their teams is minimised.
The service helps employers evaluate two important aspects of their managers’ competence; their ability to garner high performance from their team and their ability to engage. The Perform module assesses individuals’ abilities to manage the performance of their employees, helping them to achieve business goals and reach their full potential. The Engage module assesses managers on the core competencies that are essential for building rapport with their staff and includes areas such as building relationships and providing direction.
