The Work Clinic

A new report from the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) has warned that businesses will not survive the recession if they allow negativity and pessimism into their managerial mindset.

'Delivering in the downturn', based on interviews with more than 50 chief executives from SMEs, reveals the characteristics that managers need for their organisations to survive.

Top of the 'must have' list were people management and communication skills (27%), followed by financial skills (22%). Just over one in 10 of the respondents said that building effective relationships with clients is the most important skill.

Penny de Valk, chief executive of ILM, said: "The chief executives we spoke to acknowledge that management skills are being tested by the current climate. They said that managers must have an ability to adapt and develop innovative and effective solutions, and a positive outlook." 

She added: "The findings emphasise the need to continue focusing on leadership and management development. There is no margin for error in a recession. Organisations need their managers to have every advantage possible."

In the wake of the BBC and MP expenses scandals, it would appear that even run of the mill employers are beginning to cast an eagle eye over staff expenses.

According to a survey by workplace information provider Croner, part of Wolters Kluwer, almost half of employers have become stricter, with many willing to dismiss staff for persistent fraudulent claims (you mean they didn't already do this?).

In the survey of HR managers and directors,

• 43% said that their company had become stricter over expenses since the recession began
• A quarter said that staff had become more frugal
• 98% have stricter expenses policies than MPs have had
• 73% said that their policy doesn't accept unreceipted claims.

Which all rather begs the conclusion that prior to these high-profile scandals, UK companies have been somewhat slack about staff expenses ....

Coaching, consulting and training company Krauthammer is building up a European dashboard of management dimensions. The company is researching the behaviour employees want from their managers, such as the way managers "encourage them to express their ideas" or "identify their talent". Of the 27 behavioural areas surveyed, two practices rank top of the list of most wanted, year after year:

• 95% would like their manager to analyse their work problems with them.
  
• 80% would want their manager to admit their mistakes spontaneously

And the rest of the top ten most wanted behaviours:

•  83% would want their manager to give them autonomy when delegating
•  81% would expect their manager to consider their personal development when delegating
•  80% would expect their manager to let them finish explaining their ideas and encourage them to continue
  80% would like their manager to involve them in dilemmas, inventorising, solving problems
• 80% would like their manager to encourage them to find a common solution in conflict situation
• 80% would like their manager to use 360 degree feedback to evaluate their talents
• 79% would like their manager to involve them when defining their development objectives
• 75% would like their managers to praise their good results and efforts

Krauthammer also investigated the commitment levels of employees, their job satisfaction and what they consider when deciding whether or not to remain in their current organisation.

Only 16% of people are finding the business pressure difficult to bear, 41% are feeling neutral and 43% even report that the pressure is very much or totally tolerable. And when it comes to employee commitment and job satisfaction, only 41% are very committed to remaining in their organisations over the next 12 months, whilst 27% are neutral or even uncommitted.

According to the survey, employees seem more interested in the content of their current job, and fairly relaxed about job security. Salary matters, but is not a primary motivator.