Employees don’t leave organizations, They leave bad bosses. The worst place an employee can be, is stuck in an organization with a micro-manager who doesn’t care about their development and there are no opportunities for growth and advancement.
In my early career, I worked for a bad boss who put profit before people and sought to gain every ounce of productivity out of employees. We didn’t even stop to celebrate the teams’ successes. It was about quickly moving along to the next goal. There was no real leadership (vision and inspiration) only management (command and control). The culture was basically do as you are told. Suggestions and recommendations by employees and even results of viewpoint surveys were often ignored.
” An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.” – Bob Nelson
Employees became disengaged and focused solely on their salary and looked forward to the weekends. This was the only high point. Most individuals did nothing extra outside of their job specifications. The workload was unfeasible, however at 4:00 pm on the dot, employees could be seen leaving the office, as if there was a fire drill taking place. Team spirit and morale was extremely low. I felt stifled. Thus, I didn’t stay there very long. Employee turnover was high. Many individuals wanted to leave but because of debts or accumulated retirement earnings remained. Sadly, today the company is no longer in operation.
No matter how great a company’s products and/or services may be, if management is dysfunctional, that company will have serious problems. The typical ‘bad boss’ spends their time directing and monitoring employees rather than empowering them. Micromanaging is oppressive, fosters anxiety and creates a high stress work environment. Eventually, employees will become disenchanted and quit to work for another company.
A bad boss can take a good staff and destroy it, causing the best employees to flee and the remainder to lose all motivation.
It’s time that companies realize that all the money or perks in the world, will not retain good staff if they have a bad boss who makes their time on work miserable.
A boss sets the tone. One study found that a bad boss can take a negative toll on employees mental and physical health. Yes, a bad boss can make employees sick. Employees of bad managers are at greater risk for high blood pressure, chronic stress, sleep problems, anxiety, substance abuse issues, overeating, heart attacks and other health problems.
Employees yearn for good bosses. A recent study says that 56% of employees would turn down a 10% raise to stay with a great boss. There is nothing like having a boss who genuinely cares about their team. They support, empower and appreciate their employees. Employees will be willing to do more and give more. Most companies don’t currently think about great managers as a benefit, or publicize that benefit to prospective employees, but it is the best incentive in keeping staff, happy and engaged.
Check out my latest Bestselling Book
Leading the Workforce of the Future
