David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Bosses from hell a ?big? problem in Canada: survey
by Lesley Ciarula Taylor, Toronto Star
January 19, 2011
Bosses from hell are a ?big? or ?huge? problem in Canada, say nearly three-quarters of human resources executives.
And cleaning up after their mistakes can take up way too much time, according to the survey of Human Resources Professionals Association members.
What constitutes a problem manager?
?Clearly, problem managers are a significant problem,? said Balthazard, who admits he was surprised at how widespread bad managers were.
Even worse, more than a third of companies (35.2 per cent) ?will tolerate just about anything? in their rotten managers if he or she delivers results, the survey found.
More than 53 per cent of HR professionals said they have to have ?difficult conversations? with problems managers at least once a month.
?Some managers just believe that?s how you get things done,? said Balthazard. ?There?s a kind of motif of the manager that?s tough, berates employees and flies off the handle.?
Reforming problem managers sometimes works by simply pointing out the bad behaviour. Sometimes, however, it requires a radical culture change in the company, he said.
Are managers getting worse or are HR professionals and employees getting less tolerant?
?With social media,? said Balthazard, ?people talk more about what organizations are really like. Misbehaviour often surfaces more than it used to. It?s not as easily containable as it used to be.?
Although ?yardsticks have moved a bit? for what an employee will tolerate, the survey found that companies haven?t quite caught up.
Only 16.6 per cent of HR professionals said they were effective most of the time in dealing with the boss from hell.
by Lesley Ciarula Taylor, Toronto Star
January 19, 2011
Bosses from hell are a ?big? or ?huge? problem in Canada, say nearly three-quarters of human resources executives.
And cleaning up after their mistakes can take up way too much time, according to the survey of Human Resources Professionals Association members.
What constitutes a problem manager?
- inappropriate comments (?Any kind of comment that has racial overtones,? said HRPA director Claude Balthazard. ?Referring to ?the girls,? for example.?) (just over 73 per cent);
- favouritism (70 per cent);
- unwillingness to follow due process (63 per cent)
- disrespect (just under 62 per cent)
- bullying or intimidation (57 per cent)
?Clearly, problem managers are a significant problem,? said Balthazard, who admits he was surprised at how widespread bad managers were.
Even worse, more than a third of companies (35.2 per cent) ?will tolerate just about anything? in their rotten managers if he or she delivers results, the survey found.
More than 53 per cent of HR professionals said they have to have ?difficult conversations? with problems managers at least once a month.
?Some managers just believe that?s how you get things done,? said Balthazard. ?There?s a kind of motif of the manager that?s tough, berates employees and flies off the handle.?
Reforming problem managers sometimes works by simply pointing out the bad behaviour. Sometimes, however, it requires a radical culture change in the company, he said.
Are managers getting worse or are HR professionals and employees getting less tolerant?
?With social media,? said Balthazard, ?people talk more about what organizations are really like. Misbehaviour often surfaces more than it used to. It?s not as easily containable as it used to be.?
Although ?yardsticks have moved a bit? for what an employee will tolerate, the survey found that companies haven?t quite caught up.
Only 16.6 per cent of HR professionals said they were effective most of the time in dealing with the boss from hell.
