British businesses are inundated with “accidental” bosses who have had no formal training, research shows.
Two-thirds of managers did not receive guidance before taking on responsibilities such as leading a team, according to a survey by recruitment firm Robert Walters shared with the Mail on Sunday. Not training staff is “setting them up for failure,” said Robert Walters.
It could also cause other employees to quit their jobs, since problems with the boss are one of the main reasons why people leave a company.
Many managers are eager to learn and more than a third have repeatedly requested formal training. But about half of them said they felt “overwhelmed” or “underequipped” to handle their new role. Gerrit Bouckaert, executive director of recruitment at Robert Walters, said the rise of the “accident manager” was a growing problem.
“In the past, a manager’s primary role was to keep employees motivated and productive,” he said.
‘Overwhelmed’: Many managers are eager to learn and more than a third have repeatedly requested formal training
“In today’s world, they are required to drive team culture and inclusivity, lead digital adoption, possess an innate ability to know if a member of their team is struggling mentally, and also be the bearers of bad news.” They now need to supervise teams working from home and focus more on taking care of employees’ mental health, she added.
The survey of 2,000 workers echoes a report last year by the Chartered Management Institute which estimated the proportion of “accidental managers” could be as high as 82 per cent.
This study found that up to 31 percent of managers and 28 percent of workers had left their job because of a negative relationship with their manager.
But there are also concerns that a lack of adequate training could mean a shortage of future business leaders.
Natalie Trice, career coach, said: “Managing people, accounts, money or clients is a skill that most people need training for.”
“This trend is not only detrimental to managers, but also to the people in the position and to the company, as it can lead to burnout, loss of clients and increased staff turnover.”