Only a third of UK employees regard their manager as a role model, with many seeing their boss’s failure to involve them when developing new ideas or making decisions as a real turn-off.
A Mori survey released today, commissioned by Investors in People, found that:
nearly a quarter of employees (24%) feel that their line manager takes little or no account of their views or does not consult them when making decisions
only 49% of employees in smaller businesses said their manager worked with other staff when developing new plans or ideas
64% of employees in organisations with more than 1,000 employees said their manager worked with other staff when developing new plans or ideas
employees would be more motivated in their job if their manager praised them more (19%) or shared more information with them (17%)
Of those that saw their manager as a role model, 81% said that they worked with them to develop new plans and 85% agreed that their boss worked with them to reach decisions.
There are also regional discrepancies in management styles.
In Scotland, bosses are least likely to share information and take feedback on board (43%), while in the North West, managers are most likely to work with staff to reach decisions (69%).
Ruth Spellman, chief executive of Investors in People UK, said: “Our research will make uncomfortable reading for many UK managers, who are failing to inspire the very employees on whom they rely – the people whose motivation levels make all the difference to the bottom line.
The UK’s employees are clearly not impressed with managers who fail to communicate effectively or choose to ignore their opinions and ideas.”
A full copy of the report is available from the Mori website: www.mori.com/polls/2005/iipuk.shtml
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Quentin Reade
