Nearly a quarter of bosses are judged to be bad or dreadful according to a survey of employees.
And training is seen as the solution – with almost half of workers said that their bosses had not had enough training to do their jobs.
The Good Boss Company consultancy group surveyed 1,000 workers, more than two-thirds said they had been bullied or publicly humiliated. Others said they were set unachievable deadlines and made to feel worthless and angry.
According to the survey:
* Six out of 10 people with a bad boss have looked for a new job, just to escape them.
* Almost 70% of workers regularly criticise their boss to their colleagues.
* Only 1% are made to feel proud and wanted.
* Bad bosses mean more absenteeism. More than a third of staff admitted to "sickies".
* Staff have some sympathy with their tormentors; almost half believe their bad bosses haven't had enough training to do their jobs, while a third concede they are overworked.
The report's authors, Andrea Gregory and Lisa Smale, said that British workers are being failed by their managers. "A simple change in attitude that sees more bosses willing to listen, support and develop their teams will increase employees' motivation to do a good job."
The study also shows the 10 signs of a bad boss and those of a good manager.
- The worst traits:
- Leave things to the last minute.
- Provide little or no direction.
- Go for easy, quick-fix solutions.
- Keep changing decisions.
- Are stressed by a lack of organisational skills.
- Disregard work-life balance.
- Are poor at identifying problems.
- Provide no career options.
- Over-commit the team.
- Delegate difficult and unpleasant tasks.
- The best traits:
- Defend team when necessary.
- Do not let personal life affect work.
- Give credit where it is due.
- Support career development.
- Always support team members.
- Are cheerful and positive.
- Are gently persuasive.
- Challenge decisions with which they disagree.
- Face up to difficulties.
- Have reasonable expectations.
