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Data & Research November 7, 2007
While the Cats Away, the Mice….
Three-quarters of employees in a recent poll said it doesn’t make any difference to the quality of their work whether their supervisor is on the premises or not.
Reported by Fred Schneyer
In fact, 23% of the survey respondents – the survey was conducted by employee assistance program provider ComPsych Corporation – boasted that they actually get more work done when the boss is away.
A scant 2% admitted they tend to put off work when the boss isn’t at their elbow measuring their progress.
“The survey proves1 what smart managers have known all along – employees are self-motivated for the most part and micro-managing is not effective,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych, in a news release about the survey. “Employees perform and excel when they have a healthy work environment, clear-cut expectations and goals and the right support from their managers. Training programs from behavioral health experts and consultants can help develop the sort of managers who bring about the best results.”
Of course, what it may also prove – without adopting a cynical perspective – is that workers think they are producing the same – even if they aren’t (or even if their bosses wouldn’t necessarily agree with that assessment).