Managers and employees have very different ideas about the quality of their management

A new poll from Unmind claims claims that there is a significant discrepancy between how UK managers believe they’re performing and the experience of those being managed by them, with over two-thirds (67 percent) UK workers having left or considered leaving their job because of a bad manager. The survey of 3,005 office workers (1,500 managers and 1,505 employees) suggests that, while 83 percent of managers say they’ve had formal training in people management, only 63 percent of their direct reports don’t believe it. Two fifths (40 percent) UK workers say they don’t believe their manager has had sufficient training or the right skills to perform their role.

Those in management positions feel they need more training to improve their hard skills such as delegating effectively (29 percent), providing feedback (26 percent) and being more organised (25 percent). However, their direct reports say they need to upskill in softer attributes such as listening (32 percent) and motivating the team (30 percent). Similarly, while 87 percent of managers feel prepared to handle the challenges of the role, over half (57 percent) of those being managed believe their managers would benefit from further education or training, underscoring the competency gap.

When asked what areas they feel their manager lacks the most, listening was the top concern among employees, at 32 percent. Conversely, it was the bottom choice among managers, with only 18 percent stating listening was their weakest area. Interestingly, 55 percent of those being managed say listening is a key attribute of a good manager, while only 48 percent of managers say the same.

When it comes to being open about mental health in the workplace, the two groups express very different views. Seven in ten (71 percent) managers say they feel comfortable having conversations about mental health, while only 54 percent of direct reports feel the same; in fact, a quarter (25 percent) feel uncomfortable. Likewise, while three-quarters (75 percent) of managers believe their company supports their mental health, only 63 percent of direct reports agree, with a huge 35 percent saying their company does not.

Almost a third of UK workers (28 percent) believe talking openly about their mental health at work could harm their chances of progression, while 27 percent have concerns around confidentiality. On the other hand, managers were most worried about saying the wrong thing (40 percent) and the stigma around certain conversations (35 percent). A third (32 percent) of all respondents said they would lie and blame a physical problem if they needed to take time off for mental health reasons, with one in ten people saying that talking about mental health is against their company culture entirely.

Despite these challenges, there is consensus on the need for improvement. Firstly, 42 percent of all those polled say there’s a need for more training in the workplace, to encourage more effective management. Specifically, 74 percent of managers report that people management training would help them to more effectively support employees with absences and issues stemming from poor mental health.