Horrible bosses have caused nearly half of UK SME employees to quit

Britain’s employees are dissatisfied with their leaders. And almost half are quitting due to bad bosses ruining the experience of working at a small business

Horrible bosses have caused nearly half of UK SME employees to quit

Spearheading a startup is fraught with challenges which inevitably gives rise to stress in the work-place. Bosses must have great leadership skills, especially during turbulent times like the ones British businesses are facing right now due to Brexit. Remember that with great power comes great responsibility. However, sometimes things can get sticky when business leaders fail to live up to that role. And poor leadership is driving employees to resign, reveals new research. 

Having surveyed 1,000 British SME employees, the report by processing software company Process Bliss and research agency TLF Research said 45% had handed in their notice due to a difficult boss, and four in ten admitted they don’t feel trusted or valued. It doesn’t stop there. 60% believed the companies would function better if workers had more independence in their role. Furthermore, 40% said interference from their boss affects their productivity.   

Other peeves included the  27.5% who said bosses demonstrated favouritism with some employees. Additionally, 27% complained about their boss micromanaging employees and 23% said they felt unappreciated for a job well done. 

Furthermore, male and female bosses came under fire for different things. Male bosses were criticised more for micromanaging, over-delegation, taking credit for others’ work and not clearly defining tasks. Comparatively, female bosses were criticised more for favouritism and being over-friendly. 

Commenting on the report, Alister Esam, CEO of Process Bliss, said: “I would encourage any SME leader to take the role of boss as seriously as possible – speak to peers, network and take professional advice wherever possible. There are many leadership styles and each boss must find what works best for them but clearly issues such as micromanaging and being unclear when instructing about a task are causing employees at UK SMEs to leave their role and impacting on company productivity. ”

Good leadership can sail or sink a business. For SMEs in the early stages of growth, it’s essential for bosses to nip any issues relating to leadership in the bud for the business to prosper. Maybe taking notes from some of the best CEOs might help. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Louisa Cook
Louisa Cook
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