Managers a Barrier to 'Good Jobs'

UK employers may have the will to provide good jobs, but they don't know the way -- and claim bad management's a major obstacle in improving work.

Employers see the link between quality jobs and company effectiveness, citing fair pay; a culture of trust; staff training; fulfilling and interesting work; autonomy; up-to-date technology; and getting employee engagement as important. And while the majority of the 600 managers and senior executives surveyed for the Work Foundation's report, "Good Jobs", reckoned they mostly delivered on those qualities, closer inspection finds areas where job quality must be falling short.

Nearly half have a problem with sickness absence at work and 50 percent find it hard to recruit talent. One third admit retaining people and underperformance are issues. A further one-quarter struggle with presenteeism and demotivated staff.

In putting together its report for the Health and Safety Executive, the Work Foundation also ran workshops, which reveal the disconnect between what employers know to be good work practices and what really happens. And no amount of HR policies will help if, as one legal firm employer notes, the managers don't know how to apply them.

There are some common management barriers to job improvement:

1. Fairness -- managers aren't even-handed in their treatment of individuals in their team. This is often a reason for ill health as employees grow more disheartened by their work.
2. Willingness to train -- a particular issue for technically adept people promoted to management, they feel they don't need specific management training to do their job and can end up doing neither their old job nor their new one very well.
3. Delivering the 'soft' side -- some managers struggle with the less defined 'softer' side of their job and can overlook personal issues that impact on work. Some struggle to take it seriously and drop the ball when it comes to mentoring or one-to-one meetings.
4. Handling formal procedures -- some are inconsistent in carrying out performance reviews or other policies the organisation's put in place. This can be particularly true of 'clever' people who tend to shirk authority and dislike bureaucracy, according to Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones's book, "Clever.
5. Resistance to change -- it's a line manager who can determine whether someone in their team can work flexibly. Some aren't giving requests due consideration, according to employers, who also worry that managers view job-sharers as 'slackers'.
6. Culture clashes -- some organisations will have different ways of doing things from one department to the next. Managers moved from one place to another can find themselves inadvertently leading in a way that will seem alien to their new team.
7. Trust and autonomy for employees -- people given responsibility beyond their job are likely to stay more motivated, but employers feel managers aren't delegating enough.

The Work Foundation found this first hand, and the report details how its (free) consultancy work with one manufacturer was deemed too radical and not worth the effort.

Managers are most frequently in the firing line when employers cite obstacles to change -- not always fairly. A public sector employer in the report claims the middle-managers in her educational establishment are 'a disaster'. But what's being done about it?

The report has called for government to help employers create good jobs, but the Work Foundation's own recommendation for employers to share best practice with each other seems a far more likely route to success.

The good job assessment: five areas to consider

• Communications -- team briefings, upward feedback, regular employee surveys, exit interviews.
• Pay and incentives -- equal pay reviews, flexible benefits, performance-related pay, team-based rewards.
• Wellbeing -- absence monitoring, access to an Employee Assistance Programme, occupational health advice, stress management training, wellbeing programmes.
• Work-life balance -- flexible or shift-working, job shares.
• Training & development -- job descriptions, objective-setting, performance appraisals, training needs analysis, career development support, study leave.