Many employees probably don’t, according to a recent survey by staffing firm Randstad. Almost half (49%) of employees said they have no interest in being a manager.

The older employees get, the more averse to managing they become, the survey says. Half of baby boomers and 70% of workers older than 64 don’t want to supervise.

Why is it such a turn-off? Among the respondents who say “no thanks” to a managerial role:

• 80% said they don’t want the added stress
• 63% are wary of having to fire or lay off employees, and
• 63% feel the job comes with too much paperwork.

Managing does have its perks, though, For example, 81% of respondents said they’d like to manage for the chance to share knowledge and experience with others, and 85% liked the prospect of being more responsible for the success of the organization.

What it means to HR: Some people just aren’t cut out to be managers — even the best employees might fail in supervisory positions.

When a plant manager job opened up at a dry-ice producer, the boss hand-picked a replacement — a white male employee — from within the company. The vacancy wasn’t posted, and no applications from other interested employees were taken.

When an African-American employee found out about his co-worker’s promotion, he complained. The promoted employee had only been with the company for three years, while the African-American worker had 15 years of experience in the plant. He said he was more qualified than the new plant manager.

When the complaints were ignored, he took them to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who filed a lawsuit on his behalf. Failing to have the case tossed, the company agreed to pay $40,000 to settle.

Cite: EEOC v. Airgas Carbonic, Inc.

Three employee qualities to watch out for, according to executive coach Trisha Scudder in Forbes:

1. They can’t separate personal from professional — Managers have to make tough decisions, which not everyone can do. Sympathy for reports is a good quality, but too much gets in the way.
2. Friendships with reports matter more than the boss-employee relationship – Naturally, nice employees often become good friends with co-workers. That’s great — until he or she has to start managing those friends. A good manager will be able to make the switch, but others will care too much about friends to get the job done. Look for employees who know how to separate their work and personal lives.
3. They love chit-chat and gossip – Whispering down the lane can cause disruptions even when an employee does it. But when it comes from a manager who actually has deep knowledge of behind-the-scenes activity, that’s especially damaging.

Many insist on continuing to do their old jobs, instead of managing.

Think about it: Performing the previous job well is what got them promoted in the first place. So it’s tempting for them to keep trying to succeed at those duties.

Also, it often takes time for new supervisors to learn how to delegate work effectively.

It’s necessary to detect and correct the problem early. If the habit persists, the newbie’s direct reports won’t be as productive because they won’t have the guidance a good manager provides. And the manager will burn out trying to do too much.

Read more about rookie management mistakes in the PBP Executive Report 9 Mistakes New Managers Make Most Often.