Dive Brief:
- According to a Bamboo HR survey, 44% of workers have left a job because of a bad boss. Survey respondents cited the top offending boss behavior as taking credit for a subordinate's idea.
- In addition, 31 percent of female respondents said they left due to “inappropriate” behavior, while only 20 percent of the men said the same, according to the survey results.
- Bamboo HR says bosses who were surveyed said they didn't find the behaviors that annoy employees as particularly bad.
Dive Insight:
More and more, we're hearing about employers protecting bad bosses by ignoring workers' claims about everything from being treated unfairly to sexual harassment. Obviously, bad boss behavior has implications for retention, but recruitment can take a hit, too, when employees air grievances publicly.
HR managers can follow up on complaints against bosses, regardless of whether the alleged behavior is unlawful. And considering the survey's finding that boss' don't recognize their behavior as troubling, HR may need to watch for signs that a boss' behavior is driving employees out of the organization.
Finally, recognition programs may be a good way to help managers avoid taking credit for others' work. Recognition is a critical aspect of employee engagement, rated by workers as more important than pay and benefits, in some studies. Recognition programs, both formal and informal, are low-cost means of engaging employees with a large ROI for employers.
