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Article prepared by Ian Munro
"Bad bosses cause the most workplace misery"
Now is this a contentious statement?
If you are a boss how would your staff assess you?
In the Link Management Group Business Turnaround Practice we often find that one of our first challenges with a new client is the style and approach of managers to their workforce.
I recently read the following article by Nic Paton based on a survey conducted by the web recruiting site Monster, which supports our point of view.
The article states;
"It is bad bosses rather than heavy workloads, unreasonable clients or a high-pressure environment that make workers the most miserable and stressed out, a British survey has suggested.
The poll of 2,330 workers by recruiter Monster found that 48 % blamed their boss for making their blood boil and causing the most anxiety at work.
Workload came next (22 per cent), followed by environment (12 per cent), commute (11 per cent) and clients (7 per cent).
Bad bosses and difficult colleagues created stressful situations and could have a dramatic effect on workers' morale, said Monster.
Nearly one in four bosses in the UK were thought of as bad or dreadful, it suggested, indicating that "there is a direct link between how employees view their bosses and how they feel about their jobs".
A total of 58 per cent of those polled said they had looked for another job simply because of their boss.
Whether facing the wrath of Sir Alan Sugar or dealing with a Basil Fawlty-style of management, it was important not to be afraid of the big bad boss and avoid suffering in silence, Monster stressed.
The challenge was to be proactive and look at what steps you could take to build mutual respect."
It really does surprise us at Link how poorly senior managers and directors treat their staff and senior colleagues.
We are not suggesting that businesses should be run like Sunday Schools. However time after time we see that focussed teams with common goals perform significantly better and produce effective results on time. This is why if you are a boss it is in your interest to get your colleagues and employees on side.
Early last week I had a call from a manager in a turnaround client - let's call him Peter - saying "I don't know how much longer I can take the boss's attitude. He treats us like we are muck." Whilst being very sympathetic to Peter I asked him "what are you doing about this problem?"
We agreed to resolve the issue by him accepting that he has to "bite the bullet" and say to the boss that "there is no excuse for rudeness and please would he not speak to him like that." All this was to be done in a non aggressive, non argumentative way.
I can hear some of you laugh - but you know, not only is the law on your side, most bosses who behave like this have a bullying streak. The way to tackle a bully is to face up to them.
I had a call from Peter on Friday saying he had tackled the boss the next day. After a deep breath, the boss had said "you have a point, the pressure has been on, but I guess you are right, I will count to ten next time"
Please accept that you are important to your boss. Without you things would not get done. Good people are always difficult to find, good people are the real power houses in most of the businesses we work with.
Our next article on this theme addresses the steps bosses need to take to get more effective results from their staff.
See the LINK offer of a two/three day review at the start of the Business Turnaround Practice Area.
Copyright Ian Munro and Link Management Group 2006. Click here to return to the Business Turnaround Practice Area
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