Staff distrustful of line managers' instincts

Almost half of staff actively distrust their line managers' decision-making instincts in relation to both their own and colleagues’ futures, while three quarters of managers admit that they would change their verdicts if given their time again.

These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 553 UK line managers and 1,002 workers by occupational psychologists OPP. Robert McHenry, the firm’s chief executive, said the study should make "chastening reading" for any management team.

The research found that nearly four in 10 line managers rely mainly on gut feel when making personnel-related decisions, but a major factor in their making the wrong one was the mistaken belief that they really knew their staff. A huge 97% of respondents claimed that they knew their people fairly well or better, while only 74% of personnel felt the same.

Moreover, while nearly half of managers attested that they knew either a great deal or everything there was to know about their workers, less than a quarter of staff agreed.