How we grade the managers we work for and what most managers need to work on to improve in the eyes of their employees:
Bottom Line: We can all improve right? That means that even the best bosses have their weaknesses, let alone those that aren't so good to start with...
Comparably conducted a study of technology specific companies that offers a fair amount of insight for companies generally. Here was the first potential surprise out of the study. Who do you think holds the most positive or negative view of their bosses impact on the companies culture?
- 38% of those over 55 say their boss is a negative in overall culture
- 27% of those under 25 view their boss as a negative in company culture
While that might be a surprise, this next one isn't. When asked what the biggest improvement needed by their manager currently is...those of all ages most commonly answered improved communication. But what does that really mean? When you really dig down even further in their research was this statistic that's probably telling:
- Just 60% of employees are comfortable sharing negative/critical feedback with their boss
That alone speaks right to the communication issue right? Yeah some of it is probably a lack of information flow but if you don't feel comfortable being completely honest with your boss for fear of a negative outcome, that speaks to a much more direct and significant issue (than the generic "communication" gap). After all how many people really want more meetings? If it were really just about better communication that'd theoretically do the trick. So it's food for thought for you. If you're the boss, do you create an environment that allows for dissension? If you're the employee is it your boss that creates that culture or are you self-imposing that concern? Answering those questions could go a long way towards solving the biggest workplace divides we've identified.