Belligerent bosses

A new national study finds that some bosses are creating a “culture of fear” in the workplace and eroding trust with employees.

The national study of leadership funded by the University of Phoenix finds that more employees report their bosses use threats and intimidation during the financial crisis.

“Questions get you written up and/or fired,” one worker said. The study’s results also showed employees increasing distrust what their bosses say.

Some of the threatening communication reported by employees included, “Be thankful you have a job,” “You can be replaced,” and “There are lots of qualified people on the street who would love your job.”

“Such statements remind workers their jobs are on the ‘chopping block.’ … (And) some supervisors seem to foster a ‘culture of fear. to maintain control during the financial crisis,” according to the report.

REPORT FINDINGS
• The report found that 64% of employees said their supervisers use a “business as usual” mentality, with 82% of employees expressing frustration with supervisors’ lack of adaptation or communication during the economic crisis.

• Non-profit and governmental leaders were among the worst communicators, according to the report. They received significantly lower rankings than their counterparts in business, healthcare, education and manufacturing.

• Workers at non-profit organizations were particularly dissatisfied. Over half the non-profit employees in the sample (51%) characterized their supervisors’ communication as “poor.”

• In contrast, 41% of participants described their leaders as effective. Working adults expressed a strong preference for leaders who are transparent, honest, and visible. The majority (55%) of participants who shared open-ended comments recommended increased supervisor openness; 33% wanted more honesty.