Survey: Bad Relationship with Manager Causes Nightmares for 1 in 5 Luxembourg Employees

According to a survey conducted recently by jobs.lu, a bad relationship with a manager at work has caused nightmares for more than 20% of employees in Luxembourg.

During the second half of 2021, jobs.lu set out to better understand the perception and expectations that employees and managers have of each other. With this in mind, the digital recruitment platform, conducted a survey among 470 employees and managers to find out their point of view. According to jobs.lu, the conclusions of this survey have shed light on the harmful consequences that relationship problems with a manager can have on an employee's well-being.

More than one in five employees (21.70%) said that their relationship with their manager had already given them nightmares. Moreover, nearly one in five said they had sought help because they were worried about their mental health, due to a poor relationship with a superior. 

"These results have made us aware of the consequences that can result from harmful relationships between an employee and their manager", explained Arthur Meulman, CEO of jobs.lu. "To prevent possible psychosocial risks, it is important to ensure the quality of team management and to ensure that the support teams are appropriately trained. However, our survey revealed that a third of team leaders (31%) say they have never received training related to their management function".

Beyond these findings, the survey also highlighted the importance of a manager's communication skills and the need to provide regular feedback in building good relationships. "It is essential that managers acquire specific skills to support teams and help employees on a daily basis", Mr Meulman added. "Yet our survey shows that a third of team leaders (31%) say that they have never received any training related to their management role".

The average rating given by employees to their manager was 5.9 out of 10. The managers themselves rated their skill level at 8.7/10. "This finding highlights in particular the importance of feedback from the manager to the employee, but also from the employee to the manager", Mr Meulman continued. "At the core of the relationship the manager has with the team, he or she has to show openness, an ability to submit their management style to constructive feedback and to self-evaluate".

The survey sought to identify what employees considered to be inappropriate managerial behaviour. Respondents said they were mostly annoyed by informal threats from a manager (58%), disrespectful behaviour towards other employees behind their backs (47%) and criticism from colleagues in public (47%). 

Finally, when asked about their social relations with their superior, 40% of respondents insisted on the importance of a strict separation between their professional and private lives. 19% of respondents said they also actively tried to avoid their boss outside of the workplace.