Employees leave managers, not companies

We’re not discovering anything new when we say that managers are the key to employee satisfaction and productivity.  How many of us have had BAD managers (not simply average)? What was the effect on us and on the business?

I’ve come across an interesting study. A Florida State University (FSU) professor and two of his doctoral students have conducted a study which highlights the impacts of an abusive or poor manager/boss. They surveyed over 700 people who work in a variety of jobs and asked for their opinions of supervisor treatment on the job.

The study revealed these results:

39%: Their supervisor failed to keep promises
37%: Their supervisor failed to give credit when due
31%: Their supervisor gave them the “silent treatment” in the past year.
27%: Their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers.
24%: Their supervisor invaded their privacy.
23%: Their supervisor blames others to cover up mistakes or minimize embarrassment

Source: Florida State University

There’s also an interesting discussion in this blog. I’m always shocked by the testimonies of professionals who couldn’t stand their bosses and had to leave, regardless of other job circumstances.

Are these toxic organizations and managers the place we want our children to work at? Or can we change that?

However, it is politically incorrect to ask HR people if they measure and manage systematically these toxic people. And now that COST CUTS AND EFFICIENCY are the common corporate mantras, what are we doing to prevent the INEFFICIENCY of keeping bad managers?

One personal example: the other day a very successful professional told me that he had a job offer from another company to earn twice as much as where he currently is, and in a better company. He declined. Why? Because he feels well working with his current manager.

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