First-line supervisors have long been the bane of HR’s existence, but new research says they’re doing something right — especially when compared with senior leaders.
Employees say they trust their managers more than upper-level execs, according to a new survey from global consulting firm BlessingWhite.
Nearly three out of four (74%) staff members put their faith in their supervisors, up from 72% in 2010.
Compare that to workers who said they trust their senior leaders — a distant but respectable 57% (and up from 52% two years ago).
Researchers pointed to lack of communication as a reason workers draw unfavorable conclusions about upper-level people at their company — especially compared to front-line bosses, whom employees see everyday.
Open up
It’s not all great news for managers, though.
Despite staffers’ growing faith in their supervisors’ trustworthiness, some workers still feel like their managers are blind to their own problems.
Over 35% of surveyed employees said their bosses weren’t open about their own strengths and weaknesses.
That’s according to a new survey of 2,700 North American employees by management consulting firm Healthy Companies International.
Researchers say that some managers start drinking their own Kool-Aid — in other words, since they’ve achieved a position of authority, they become full of themselves and unable to listen to ideas from their subordinates.
The key: Managers need to be able to take a step back and be honest with themselves about their inadequacies.
“Only by doing so may leaders learn to make the most of their own assets and to rely astutely on others,” said Stephen Parker, president of Health Companies International, in a press release. “There can be great power in sharing one’s humanity and in being open about oneself.”
