The recession has changed our perspective. Planning for the long term has been overshadowed by the urgency of survival. The softly-softly approach to management that flourished during the blissful boom years, has been squashed under the pressure of the flailing economy. The workplace has become more brutal than ever. Yes, macho management is back. And we're all feeling the consequences.
In the absence of pay rises and generous bonuses, motivation is less about reward and more about fear. Yes, it's the stick that's been keeping us in the office late at night rather than a tasty carrot!
Although the recession has presented many new problems, apparently we’ve handled the management aspects of this by reverting back to a style of leadership that we hoped had been confined to the bad old days.
Let’s look at a few facts:
- A recent research revealed 85 per cent of employees would rather seek help elsewhere than turn to their managers when they need guidance at work. This is down to three main factors; fear of looking incompetent, a reluctance to bother their busy boss and concerns that they will be unfairly judged based on their question.
- Workplace bullying is becoming more commonplace according to surveys, rising by a third in the last six months.
- British Gas workers voted in favour of strike action over claims of macho management at the company.
So, I vote for the end of intimidation, authoritarianism and fear being used by leaders to hide their uncertainty about the current and future situation of their business. As we prepare for an upturn, is it time once again to embrace our softer side and bring a sense of compassion and humanity back into the workplace?
Go on, be a woman about it.
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