How employees rate middle managers

Ever wondered how employees view your company’s middle managers? New research has revealed a range of different sentiments.

CIPD’s The importance of people management: Analysis of its impact on employees found differing viewpoints in terms of how employees rate middle managers.

According to the report, women were more likely to rate their managers positively. In contrast, employees with disabilities didn’t rate their managers positively. Similarly, ethnic minorities rated their managers worse than white employees did.

This could reflect a lack of training or unconscious bias that can easily work its way into management. Employers may benefit by providing managers with training, resources, and support to help them manage different demographics.

Smaller organisations were more likely to have higher-rated managers than large organisations. This was reportedly due to the increased visibility of managers, which made it easier for employees to build relationships with them.

CIPD highlighted a connection between good managers and the ability to “coax discretionary effort”. This being, managers who are able to get employees to do work that may be outside of their contractual obligations were rated higher than those who couldn’t.

The report said: “For example, less than two-fifths (38 per cent) of employees with bottom-quartile line managers were prepared to volunteer for duties outside their job description, whereas almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of employees with top-quartile line managers were prepared to do this.”

Furthermore, being open to innovation and welcoming the discussion of new ideas was also linked to successful managers. With this in mind, managers who encourage innovation and give employees the room to perform can not only get more out of their staff but can also find themselves rated higher as a manager.

The report also flagged the need to keep managers in good spirits as their attitude will have “significant implications for those who they manage”.

CIPD listed some methods for ensuring the health, wellbeing, and engagement of managers are accounted for:

• Being open, fair and consistent
• Handling conflict and people management issues
• Providing knowledge, clarity and guidance
• Building and sustaining relationships
• Supporting development

Workloads reportedly play a large role in what makes a good manager. Half of the respondents with a bottom quartile manager said they had excessive workloads. This and “manager style” were the top two reasons for stress-related absence, showing a link between poor management and burnout.

With this in mind, it’s important employers provide adequate facilities for their managers to do their job. According to CIPD, 17 per cent of organisations have improving their management listed as their top priority.

The report also said that it’s crucial that managers are chosen for their ability to manage people, not simply because they are good at their previous job. Finally, CIPD noted that with a diverse workforce comes varying needs and wants. No “one-size-fits-all” management approach will work, as each team needs to be treated individually.

Read CIPD’s full The importance of people management: Analysis of its impact on employees here.