Managers rank their performance much more highly than their direct reports, as research by Penna – a global people management business– reveals today. 82% of managers agree with the statement that they are definitely, or sometimes, “good at supporting their direct reports with opportunities for promotion” – but well over a third of employees (39%) disagree.
Learning and development is also a sticking point. 91% of managers agree that they support employees with opportunities, definitely or sometimes, despite nearly a third (29%) of employees saying that they don’t. More than half (51%) of employees even went as far as saying they could or may be able to do a better job than their manager. Only 23% of employees feel their manager is accessible and a quarter (25%) believe they are supportive – in comparison to 40% and 44% respectively of managers who said they were.
It’s no wonder that more than half of employees who haven’t managed before (54%), say they’ve never wanted to be a manager. Nearly a quarter of employees surveyed say they wouldn’t put their all into the role (23%).
On the plus side, employees strongly or slightly agree that they like (64%) and respect (66%) their managers. More than three quarters (77%) say that, overall, they have a good relationship with their manager and nearly a third (31%) agree that their manager works hard to make the team work more efficiently.
Penny de Valk, managing director of Penna Talent Practice said, “Managers score highly on being liked and respected. Whilst important, it should not come at the cost of clarity of direction and vision sharing – which their direct reports say is lacking. If UK businesses want to maintain their competitive advantage, they must address the tensions between perceived and actual managerial performance and impact. But with only around a quarter (23%) of managers ever receiving development or support - how can we expect this to happen without giving them the capabilities they need to lead?
“Managers have a tough gig and their roles have increased in pace and intensity due to the ongoing economic turmoil. They think they are doing a great job – one that even their direct reports don’t want to do – but their employees beg to differ and organisations aren’t investing in their development to address this critical perception gap. We already know there is a dearth of managers, with one million needed by 2020[1], so businesses that continue to ignore this tension will only set us back further if we don’t act now.”
[1] CMI research: Management 2020: https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/PDF/M2020/Management%202020%20-%20Leadership%20to%20unlock%20long-term%20growth.pdf
