That’s certainly an important factor, but there’s more to it than that. The tendency is to exalt the personality of those people who are cited as “best bosses”. As the Best Boss project unfolded, this pattern surfaced again and again: people are profoundly affected by an outstanding boss, and the memories stay with them for a long time. The CHRO said, “He trusted me and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and ask, ‘What would Bill do?’” Obviously, quite a bit of time has passed since that presentation, but the man spoke as if it occurred yesterday. He was reluctant, but his boss encouraged him. They often spoke with great feeling about how that one leader made a lasting impact – for example, a CHRO who recalled a time when a prior boss asked him to give an important presentation early in his career. He interviewed people who shared what a difference it made to their careers to have a great boss – especially early on. His findings make a compelling case that any business is well-advised to invest in selecting and developing excellent bosses. It’s not that simple, of course, but a colleague here at Vantage, Duncan Ferguson, has developed what he calls The Best Boss Project. Therefore, all you need for 100% retention is to be a great boss – right? workers with full-time positions across 10 industries: health care, software, real estate, hospitality, legal, education, finance & insurance, human resources, marketing & sales and science & tech.It has been said that people don’t quit their jobs they quit their bosses. Methodology: The GoodHire survey was conducted online via Pollfish from Dec. They also reported in that survey being nearly twice as likely as others to have developed physical health problems since the onset of the pandemic. Just before the quit number hit its record high in November, managers reported some of the largest declines in mental health scores compared to other groups in a LifeWorks survey conducted the previous month. Still, in the transition to a mostly remote workforce, it's important to note that managers are impacted, too. The GoodHire survey shows workers reporting that remote work presents new challenges for their relationships with managers:Ģ2% say their managers definitely trust that they’ll be productive and hard-working during their regular hours while working remotelyĤ6% say their managers respect the personal time away they take from work after working hours But as more companies report their efforts to accommodate remote employees, the transition to out-of-office arrangements might have a downside. Many job seekers report that they're prioritizing remote work opportunities, and even say they would move to a new city or take a pay cut to find remote work. Remote work makes the relationship even more complicated Among the happiest with their managers were people who work in hospitality (80%) in contrast, those who were least satisfied work in real estate (55%) and legal professions (56%).
But what do employees want instead? Many say they seek qualities that their current managers lack: honesty and authenticity.ģ2% believe their manager cares about employee career progressionģ9% say their manager is open and honest about opportunities for promotionĤ4% say their manager is open and honest during conversations about salary and compensationĭespite that, the vast majority (70%) say they either "strongly or somewhat enjoy" working with their current managers. In the GoodHire report, the majority of respondents report being unhappy with certain aspects of the manager-employee relationship, including how often they meet with their managers (63%) and how much their managers communicate virtually or digitally (62%).Īcross all industries, respondents say the qualities they most dislike are micromanagement and the expectation of productivity outside of work hours. In a November survey from nonprofit think tank Coqual, workers pointed to manager behavior as a main cause of workplace inequity and employee turnover. This isn't the first survey to ask how managers are contributing to mass resignation. In the survey of 3,000 workers, 82% told GoodHire they would consider quitting their job because of a bad manager. With a vast number of people leaving the workforce, employers have been left wondering how they've failed to retain talent.Ī recent report from employment and background screening services company GoodHire points to managers as a key factor. In November 2021, a record 4.5 million U.S.