A positive work environment or workplace culture is a key factor in team performance, customer reception, and overall organizational success. People in management roles directly influence employee morale and job satisfaction, so it’s important that managers can, not only understand the job in terms of customers or functionality but step up and be leaders. As it turns out, most managers are promoted because of their skillset pertaining to the job, studies found that 58% of managers had zero training in managing people before taking on a leadership position.

Disengagement

Gallup research finds year after year that around 70% of employees are actively disengaged. This consistent disengagement can be attributed to a range of factors such as lack of incentive, insufficient direction, or a lack of resources, all a result of ineffective leadership. If employee disengagement persists, it can quickly evolve into job dissatisfaction and employee turnover.

Communication

The importance of clear, simple, and open communication from those in leadership positions can often be overlooked. In the 2019 People Management Report, 10% of employees said their manager lacked communication skills. Effective communication can build trust, understanding, and connectivity which builds a positive culture of collaboration at work. When managers explain roles and responsibilities to their team, employees are 23% more likely to stay at the company. A lack of clarity in job description can cause employees confusion and friction within their team, as well as with management. If there are no clear objectives set out for staff, they might end up missing important tasks that need to get done, creating a backlog of work.

Value

43% of employees say that feeling appreciated makes them feel confident. Instilling a culture of delivering positive feedback in addition to constructive criticism helps to reinforce mutual respect that should come from the top and trickle down to the whole team. Appreciation can be something as little as a “thank you” or praise for a job well done, and the impact can be a more motivated employee. Showing appreciation is a simple but effective way to improve the morale of your employees that costs nothing to an organization or manager.

Trust

Trust is essential to cooperation, so it should, by no means, be scarce in the work environment. Unfortunately, the majority of employees don’t trust their leaders. According to the Harvard Business Review, 58% of people say they trust strangers more than their own boss. People who feel trust from management often perform better, go beyond expectations, and take initiative because they have the comfort of someone on their side who wants the best for them. To build trust, management should be transparent, supportive, and helpful during both good and bad situations.

Turnover

When employees have a poor working relationship with their manager or direct superior, they are 4 times more likely than colleagues to interview for other positions and other employers. When a management style doesn’t uplift, motivate, or support the team following it, the likelihood of employee turnover rises. “A lack of appreciation” from management, according to studies, is the reason why 79% of people quit their jobs, meaning that managers are a undeniable representation of a company’s culture in the eyes of employees.