Saturday, May 30, 2020

Why a Bad Boss is Bad for Employer Brand

Why a Bad Boss is Bad for Employer Brand Theres nothing worse than working for a bad boss. But what if the boss is so bad that it tarnishes the good name of the company, or worse still damages the employer brand? In recent weeks Uber boss Travis Kalanick has  been in the news  for all the wrong reasons. Firstly for the damning open letter by former employee Sandra Fowler  about alleged sexual harassment at the company. Now Mr Kalanick himself published this profound apology  to all his staff after being caught on camera being abusive to one of his own drivers. Now there is the attitude that it is the boss company and they can do what they want, but can they really? The impact this kind of exposure generates is priceless and sometimes it could cause so much irreparable damage that the company may never recover. A Gallup poll of more than 7,000 U.S. workers found that the number one reason people quit their jobs is poor leadership. In other words, they are suffering under the leadership of a bad boss. “People leave managers, not companies,” Gallup wrote in their survey findings. “In the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue.” But how does a bad boss affect employer brand? Jonas Fischer is the co-founder of PeerCulture. He says: Employees often see their CEO as the embodiment of the companys core values. While a leader is certainly not the brand, great leaders are the difference makers when we think of the world-class, exceptional employer brands. When a crisis occurs, it can be an opportunity for the organization to reinforce their values by making the situation right. The key is how they respond. Talent attraction and retention Being a desirable place to work is one of the main reasons candidates seek to join a company and employees are loathed to leave. And it can be desirable for a number of things like the office location, flexibility, career progression prospects or the reputation of the company boss. There are some CEOs whose reputation is often bigger than their companies such as Teslas Elon Musk, Virgin boss Richard Branson and Ginnie Rometti of IBM. They are almost like super CEOs  so if they are in the press for the wrong reasons then its going to be difficult to attract and keep the top talent. Brand reputation The most successful companies to work for are known just by their brand name and its no different in recruitment and reputation is up there with things that matter the most to employees and candidates. Nowadays, saying who you work for is far more important than having a job. In fact,  research shows that 69% of job seekers wouldn’t take a role with a company that had a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed. Meanwhile 84% would consider leaving their current job if they were offered another role by a business with an excellent reputation. Morale Having a bad boss  doesn’t just affect the person at whom it’s directed â€" it can affect an entire office and more importantly the morale of that office. And if it spreads to other people, it could  affect employees’ overall perception of the company they work for and just like a  domino effect, this can affect the productivity of the company itself. The Harvard Business Review did a study on just how damaging a bad boss is  and found that no matter how much the company invests on things like  excellent rewards schemes, career progression, stimulating work environments, health insurance, and other perks â€" it wont make much difference to the people stuck with bad bosses. Culture Company culture and cultural fit can have a huge impact on a persons  happiness in the workplace  and if the issue is a bad manager then its a problem. When employees  feel like they are routinely being treated unfairly, or are being disrespected, you have a culture problem. A company with a culture that fosters a lack of respect will not only reduce a company’s productivity, but more importantly, it’ll make going to work a lot less fun for everyone and employees are likely to leave. Company culture is essential for a successful business  but if its the person at the top who is making the company an uncomfortable place to work then unless they seek to correct it, then it wont be long until they wont have a company at all. Management by fear If you ask any manager they would never admit they manage by fear, and their employees certainly wont tell them that they fear them. But sadly  there are fear-based managers everywhere. Its true that these managers use fear to control people or threaten their employees and keep them on edge in order to keep them compliant and docile. But it also means employees feel their managers are unapproachable about basic things like pay, just as Uber driver Fawaz Kamel found when he  complained his income was falling and blamed Ubers fare structure. At best this is annoying that you cant have an open and honest chat with your boss, but at the very worst this could lead to an employee suffering from mental health problems and lack of self-worth. This in turn means they will be off work with stress, or making excuses not to go in or they will end up leaving. Adam Glassman, Recruitment Strategies Manager at Alorica, says: Above all, your employer brand is driven by your people (its not your ping-pong table, sorry to say). How your employees work together, and more importantly, how your leaders treat their teams becomes paramount. That defines your culture, your work environment and the feel of the employees work experience. Working under a bad boss is bad news for everyone and while Mr Kalanick has admitted he needs help to be a leader, sometimes it takes a complete overhaul of the whole company from the top down to get things right.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.