These management behaviours are most appreciated by staff

01 March 2019 -

Employees rate managers who keep them informed and involve them in decision-making more highly

CMI Insights

Want to be appreciated by your team? New research from the Chartered Management Institute – published on Employee Appreciation Day – has shown that leaders who demonstrate specific behaviours in the workplace are valued more highly by their staff.

In a survey of 940 UK managers, 90% of junior and mid-level professionals rated their senior leaders as ‘effective’ when they used an innovative, entrepreneurial or empowering management style.

MOST APPRECIATED LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS

In practice, these senior leaders were most appreciated when they kept employees well-informed and involved them in decision-making at work: 89% of individuals who said their line managers demonstrated these behaviours, also called them ‘effective’.

Currently, just over half (55%) of senior leaders are said by junior and middle managers to be good at telling employees about changes to their organisation. Even less (40%) involve their juniors in business decisions. However, some UK companies have put measures in place to help drive transparency.

HOW TO KEEP EMPLOYEES INFORMED

The CMI/Glassdoor Top 20 – a review of top-rated companies for leadership and working culture – captured various ways that senior leaders could keep employees informed.

For example, XPO Logistics employs 97,000 people in 32 countries and invites them all to tune into regular online broadcasts. The company also has a communication platform that enables employees to engage with bosses. “Employees at all levels can reach out directly to our leadership teams, executive team and even our CEO Brad Jacobs – and be heard,” says HR director Mark Simmons.

Home repair business HomeServe is another firm that recognises that employees appreciate an “open” and “engaged” management style. It describes its senior leaders as “highly active communicators” – a trait encouraged by CEO Greg Reed who has held more than 3,000 one-to-one meetings with staff since joining in 2012.

One HomeServe manager – who chose not to be named – highlighted to CMI Insights that certain management behaviours are appreciated precisely because they help others to feel appreciated too. They commented: “If our people see leaders regularly and they hear from them constantly, then they know that they are listened to, and most importantly, that their voices and opinions matter.”

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