Member Article

Bosses feel overworked and undervalued

Many bosses feel overworked and undervalued and some even admit to being intimidated by their own staff, according to a new report.

The latest research found that the recession has led to more pressure, longer working hours and increased levels of “presenteesim” among company chiefs, with one in ten taking less than a week’s holiday a year.

The survey of 1,000 company bosses across the UK, commissioned by executive recruitment and talent specialists Wickland Westcott, reveals that almost half (46%) believe they are underpaid and three quarters work more than the national weekly average.

Eight out of ten work weekends and job commitments have meant that a fifth of corporate leaders have missed family weddings and funerals and the same number again said they have been called away from Christmas or New Year celebrations because of office issues.

However, despite this level of commitment, a fifth of bosses surveyed feel they are undervalued in the workplace and one in six say they regularly get annoyed by the attitude of their staff.

A quarter of company leaders under-35 admit to feeling intimidated by their employees, a figure which falls to just one per cent of those over-55.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as a third of bosses believe their staff love working for them and are adamant that they inspire their employees to do a better job.

The study also found a further third are happy to sacrifice a good work/life balance for the sake of their job and two thirds actually consider themselves to have a good work/life balance, despite working extra hours and missing special family time.

Colin Mercer, Managing Director at Wickland Westcott, said: “Anybody who is in, or wants to be in, a position of leadership and authority in a business environment will know that there is no substitute for hard work.

“Dedicated graft is the back bone of business and this is reflected in our study, many bosses work long hours and often have to put business before other things in life but the majority feel they can do this and maintain what they consider to be a happy work/life balance.

“It is also encouraging to discover that many bosses feel they inspire those who work for them, despite others feeling undervalued and overworked. Feeling optimistic about your business and working hard to achieve your goals are the two main qualities that will help lead us out of these tough economic times.”

Two fifths of bosses said they have been working longer hours since the recession struck and they take, on average, just three quarters of their annual holiday entitlement.

A quarter insisted it was these longer hours, coupled with the extra pressure the economic downturn put on many businesses, that they disliked most about their job.

The survey, for leading talent and search consultancy Wickland Westcott, interviewed bosses across many different sectors, including the legal profession, finance, property, education and health.

It also discovered that job satisfaction rather than money was the main motivating factor for bosses, while one in eight insisted they were inspired to work harder by their own dedicated staff.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Colin Mercer .