Much has been made of the so-called Great Resignation, in which tens of millions of Americans have quit their jobs since the spring of 2021. Reasons for the mass exodus vary, but here’s an explanation you may not have considered — poor management.
In a January survey by the employee engagement platform Ten Spot, 46% of respondents said they worked for a manager who made them want to quit their job. And among respondents in managerial roles, 81% said they were considering leaving because of their own managers.
“The choices we make as managers have a direct impact on workplace culture and attrition,” Marina Khidekel, chief content officer for the Thrive website, wrote in February.
Thrive asked its readers to share their personal stories about managers who negatively impacted their workplace culture. Here are some of the mistakes they said their managers made:
- Micromanaging employees
- Not giving direct feedback
- Discouraging career growth
- Hiring unfairly
- Publicly criticizing others
- Taking credit for other people’s work
- Spreading negativity
- Urging employees to work harder, not smarter
- Using fear to lead
These traits highlight the importance of accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative. If you were a manager on trial, would you be found guilty of committing any of these transgressions? How you answer could seriously impact your workplace culture.
