Friday (Oct. 16) is
1. Always tell the truth, even if it hurts. But do it fast — like ripping off a Band-Aid.
2. Treat everyone fairly, like you’d want to be treated.
3. Be a good listener.
4. If your staff wants to eat paste occasionally, just look the other way.
While these all are vitally important lessons, I’d say number 1 is paramount, especially in uncertain times such as these: Tell the truth.
Sadly, according to Adecco Group North America, this is something that bosses don’t do enough — or at least that's what their staff thinks.
AGNA’s American Workplace Insights Survey finds that 53% of workers don’t think their boss is honest. One quarter of employees say that they believe their boss is dishonest about their job security. And, 28% of workers would lay off/fire their boss if given the option.
However, workers do realize that being a boss is no cakewalk, as only 39% of workers would take their boss’s job if offered.
Bosses still have some making up to do, though, since 89% of workers think their relationship with their boss is important for their job satisfaction, but just 14% of them respect their boss more since the recession began.
I know it’s not easy having to go to your staff and tell them time and again to do more with less, or that more of their colleagues are being let go for budget reasons, or that you have to make their families less secure with pay and/or benefits cuts. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the recession, it’s that your staff can take anything with grace if not good humor, so long as you’re honest with them about what you're doing and why.
