Manager Say, Manager Not Do

Here’s a cute quote from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development’s latest Employee Outlook survey:

There is a significant contrast between how managers say they manage people and the views of employees toward their managers.” (it’s on page 9 under ‘people management practice’).

Hmmm.

  • Do you meet each person you manage on a weekly basis? 50% of managers in the survey say “yes”, but just 17% of employees say this is their experience.
  • Do you talk 1:1 with your people for 30 minutes or less each month? 35% of managers fess up to this, yet 62% of employees report this is what they get.

The discrepancies around how often and for how long managers and employees meet up go on. And on… not just about frequency and duration, but also content:

  • 46% of managers say they always provide feedback on performance during these discussions. Compare this with employees, only 17% of whom say this always happens.
  • 51% of managers say they always discuss employee well-being, which contrasts somewhat with the 19% of employees who say that’s indeed so.

Do we managers overestimate our own performance? Of course, t’was ever thus. It’s a common human failing that we overestimate our capabilities. But there really are some cracking ‘pants on fire’ moments in the CIPD survey. Well worth a look.

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