Dive Brief:
- When facing uncertain times, employees primarily seek more information and support from their managers, according to an analysis of a survey conducted by two Claremont Graduate University researchers and published in the MIT Sloan Management Review.
- The survey of 287 workers between March and October 2020 asked employees to name one thing their supervisors could do to help alleviate uncertainty caused by COVID-19. More than one-third said managers could provide information on specific topics, such as the likelihood of layoffs, return-to-office plans and performance expectations. Another 35% cited support, such as job assurance and care for health and safety.
- Respondents identified three other response categories, including specific communication characteristics; emulating a certain leadership style; and provision of resources. Only 11% of respondents said that there was nothing managers could do to alleviate uncertainty, either because their managers were already doing so or because they viewed uncertainty as unresolvable.
Dive Insight:
The past two years have offered no shortage of uncertainty for employers and employees, but the situation nearing the end of 2022 has grown even more precarious. In the U.S., industries from technology to media are seeing rescinded job offers and layoffs. That’s on top of the turbulence organizations face due to shifting work norms — changes that may cause managers to fall back on outdated strategies.
Yet in many ways, managers have been placed in “nearly impossible situations,” survey authors Kristine W. Powers and Jessica B.B. Diaz said in the analysis.
That is because the team found that respondents sometimes contradicted one another when listing which qualities they sought from leaders in uncertain times; some respondents wanted leaders who “communicate their fears” while others wanted leaders who will “stay calm and not panic.”
But managers can respond to these diverging needs by identifying and addressing the unique needs of each employee, as well as cultivating trust with their reports, Powers and Diaz said; “Much of how employees experience uncertainty rests on the level of trust managers establish long before a crisis comes knocking. In fact, research demonstrates that in times of crisis, individuals revert to pre-crisis orientations and beliefs about their manager’s trustworthiness.”
Difficult times also may prompt some organizations to wind down pre-existing commitments in areas like diversity, equity and inclusion, but such programs are arguably critical to weathering economic shifts, sources previously told HR Dive.
