UK
managers are overworked, put business ahead of family, and work within a
negative culture, according to a survey released today by the Chartered
Management Institute (CMI) and recruitment agency Adecco.
The
Business Energy Survey questioned more than 1,500 managers. It found that UK
businesses are failing to understand the wants and needs of their most
important assets, and falling levels of workplace energy.
The
report shows that the volume of work has adverse effects on employee energy
levels. Around one-third (35 per cent) admitted to having no energy on weekday
evenings because of work, and 24 per cent admitted to using the weekend solely
to recover from work.
Mary
Chapman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said:
"It’s easy to see why frustrations exist. The pace of change and a desire
to reduce costs has had major implications on working patterns in many
organisations. But all too often, these are not communicated effectively, and
they take their toll through longer working hours and a drained
workforce."
Richard
Macmillan, managing director of Adecco UK and Ireland, said employees were
still happy to work at managerial level as long as their ideas were heard, they
felt valued and empowered, and were allowed to work flexibly.
The
key findings of the survey were:
*
Seven-day working week: one in five managers work an extra 14 hours more than
they are paid for, effectively equating to a seven-day week. Almost half (43
per cent) feel that they are overloaded with work
*
No energy for family life: four in 10 managers admit to missing family
commitments because of work pressure
*
Negative energy: one in four people believe their organisation has an
‘authoritarian’ culture, with 28 per cent feeling exploited, and 30 per cent
believing that their organisations respond to change in an ad hoc, haphazard
way
*
Purpose, not pay: Managers seem happy to work long and hard if they are given a
sense of achievement in their work. A ‘sense of purpose’ was classed as the
biggest motivating factor by 61 per cent of the respondents. Only 12 per cent
see pay as the main motivator
*
New ways of working: One in three managers want flexible working initiatives,
such as compressed working weeks, but less than 5 per cent believe these will
ever happen
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
