Based on a recent Robert Half study, U.S. managers are more popular with their employees than top executives are. More than half of the 3,000 employees polled said they were satisfied with the performance of their bosses, i.e. 8% more than for corporate leaders. Similarly, 60% stated they can trust their managers and less than one-quarter (24%) feel they could do a better job if put in charge. These numbers are 40% and 36% for top executives, respectively.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said that their managers take the time to review their job concerns and 45% said their managers help them develop new skills.
As for top executives, only one-third of U.S. workers found them effective at motivating staff, and 36% think that they lead by example.
According to Robert Half, this confidence gap reflects the difficulty of staying close to employees when moving up through the ranks, and shows the need to maintain real communication links.