If you think your seniors at workplace do not have the skills to justify the designation they hold, you are not alone. If a recent survey by JobBuzz is anything to go by, lower and middle-level employees do not think too kindly of their top management. In the survey, lower hierarchy managers and employees were asked to rate their top management.
The following are the results of the survey:
- Almost 40% of the employees rated their top management’s leadership skills as poor. 35% said that the skills were satisfactory, and only 25% said that the same was excellent. Furthermore, only 5% reported to be being satisfied with the level of interaction they hold with senior management, and 95% said that they were not satisfied.
- 60% of the employees admitted that they do not have the required resources to meet the target output set out for them, and 40% replied in affirmative to the same question.
- Only 20% of the employees think that their organization uses skills efficiently and judiciously, whereas an overwhelming majority (80%) thinks otherwise.
- Only 10% of the employees are of the view that top management addresses their concerns the best that they can, whereas the other 90% say that their problems are mishandled and the top management isn’t really bothered with the same.
- 35% of those surveyed think that their top management has effective public relations, whereas the remaining 65% consider their top management’s public relations to be poor.
- Just about 25% of the employees hold the view that their work culture is flexible, whereas 45% believe that flexibility in their workplace is poorly managed and 30% say that their workplace is not flexible at all.
- In terms of scope of improvement, 35% think that workplace flexibility should be improved, followed by those who think compensation scheme should be improved (25%) and those who think the work environment must be the focus (20%). Another 15% would like to change the leadership style followed by the top management.
The results of the survey indicate that employees do not truly accord the respect to their top management that they are otherwise forced to. To put things in perspective, only one in four employees think that their top management has excellent leadership skills but two in five thinks of their top management’s leadership capabilities as poor. Furthermore, several findings of the survey show that employees are discontented about the way their concerns, especially about workplace flexibility and culture, are handled.
To the employees, associates, and rest of the world, the top management of any organization indicates the heart and brain of the company. Such dismal level of confidence displayed by the employees is surely a worrying sign. There is an urgent need to review this challenge comprehensively and initiate suitable strategies to deal with the same. Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs sums it up rather aptly at the end of the survey, “The top management effectively deals with all elements and forces that affect the survival, stability, and growth of an organization. Most of us experience stress when we feel lack of control over the events in our lives. It is important for the top management to manage their own stress, to create a less stressful work environment for the employees and make businesses strive. The top management can help reduce stress among the employees by setting clear goals, offering flexible work ambience and by creating a better understanding of business goals.”