Companies should allow their employees to rate how their managers are managing them, in a novel way to tackle work-related stress.
Research funded by the Health & Safety Executive, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People, was presented to the British Psychological Society’s occupational psychology division annual conference in January.
The study of 150 managers and 500 workers found that when managers received feedback from their staff, they were more likely to change their management style and subsequently be seen as more effective line managers.
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Those managers who did not receive any feedback were less likely to change their management behaviour, with feedback thus found to be a significant trigger for change and reducing stress and anxiety.
Emma Donaldson-Feilder, of occupational psychologist Affinity Health at Work, which is developing workplace tools in this area, said: “Without holding a mirror up to a person, they can have blind spots about how they come across, and if they think they are already good enough, why should they change?”
