The survey, which asked 1,200 UK workers about their experiences of leadership in the workplace, found that some of the worst traits of bad bosses in the engineering industry include: poor people skills (64.3 per cent), poor communication skills (37.5 per cent) and being unprofessional (35.7 per cent). Other key findings from the research include:
- 70.5 per cent of engineers stated that they enjoy following a leader
- BUT, bad leadership can leave employees feeling de-motivated , according to 51.6 per cent of engineering professionals
- …and a further 11.3 per cent% said it resulted in people leaving the business altogether
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library , commented on the findings: “Bad management is often cited as the top reason for employees becoming stressed at work or worse still, leaving organisations altogether, so it’s no surprise that our findings highlight some of the repercussions that poor leadership can bring about for engineering professionals. Workers want to feel supported in their day-to-day job, and often depend on a strong leader to look up to, approach if things get tough and rely on for help on a daily basis. Organisations that don’t promote best practice when it comes to leadership will inevitably bear the brunt when it comes to talent retention.”
According to the study, a whopping 83.6 per cent of employees working in the engineering industry believe that they could make a good leader, higher than the national average and many other sectors in the UK. The key reasons behind this included: because they’re trustworthy (23.5 per cent), good at communicating (19.6 per cent), confident (16.9 per cent), approachable (15.7 per cent) and a good motivator (11.8 per cent).
Biggins continued: “Engineers clearly understand some of the key attributes that are needed to be an excellent leader, having experienced first hand some of the best and worst traits that bosses possess. Finding great leaders can be hard, and businesses should look to develop employees that demonstrate the passion, drive and behaviour that is needed to drive organisations forward in 2017 and beyond.”
The research found that the best leadership qualities, according to IT professionals, were: confidence (50 per cent), honesty (46.8 per cent), open mindedness (43.5 per cent), trustworthiness (37.1 per cent), integrity (30.6 per cent), transparency (25.8 per cent) and passion (19.4 per cent).