Poor management is causing British businesses to lose young talent, research released by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) revealed.
About 400,000 workers aged between 18 and 24 told the institute bad bosses were holding them back, and a quarter of younger staff members said they would leave their organisation if they were poorly managed.
The institute found bad managers were putting many young workers off management altogether. About 28% of young people who have had a negative management experience do not want to become a manager in the future.
A lack of strong leadership in British businesses was also found to be breeding cynicism among young people, with 25% of young workers believing they could do a better job than their current boss.
Those who participated in the survey said they wanted progressive management to inspire them, and 86% put approachability at the top of their list of desirable management traits.
Kim Parish, chief executive of the ILM, said: “It is imperative that we develop our young talent because they have no qualms about moving on.
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“Young people will leave organisations if they experience poor management and that, combined with the increasing trend for portfolio careers, means that businesses risk losing the talent they have put so much time, money and effort into recruiting and developing.
“This adds to the challenges for today’s managers – not only must they deliver results, inspire customers and cut costs, but they must involve their team, even when the going gets tough.”
