Half of employees don’t want to be managers
September 17, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views, Promoting
Trying to choose candidates for a promotion to management? Make sure you pick folks who actually want the job.
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.
Tags: employees, management, Randstad
September 28th, 2009 at 11:16 am
What it means to HR: When selecting managers, look at leadership/ management skill sets, not just an employee who can get more done in an hour. Second, look at what they care about. The survey points out that most did not want to manage because of paperwork, stress, and having to fire or layoff, however most wanted the chance to share knowledge and experence and the prospect of being more responsible for the success of the organization. So when presenting the job, present the WHOLE job and let them decide. Every job I held had positives and negatives. Don’t let them just focus on the negatives. Motivation starts with the person you want motivated and what they care about and how they see things. The best you can do is help them see things clearer and in prospective. Its called “influencing.”