Half of workers quit jobs due to bad management

10 November 2009

Better Managed Britain campaign launched to bring about skills transformation

Almost half of workers surveyed (47 per cent) have left a job due to bad management, figures from CMI today revealed.

A new survey of the UK workforce (3,000 adults surveyed by OnePoll), conducted on behalf of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) also revealed that 50 per cent believe that they could do a better job than their current manager and a similar number (49 per cent) said they would be prepared to take a pay cut, in order to work with a better manager.

Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: "The figures reveal the depth of the crisis of confidence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people's wellbeing." Tonight, CMI, as the champion of management and leadership excellence in the UK, will meet with representatives from the three main political parties at the launch of its Manifesto for a Better Managed Britain to demand that urgent action is taken to transform management and leadership performance.

More than 1,500 leaders and managers have already pledged their commitment to CMI's Manifesto, from organisations including PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Interbrand. The Manifesto, the result of extensive research, analysis and consultation, calls for managers, organisations and the Government to pledge their commitment to help meet the economic, social and political challenges facing Britain. It sets out the case for the Government to make the development of effective managers a national priority – with the public sector leading by example. Employers are called upon to develop professional managers and leaders in their organisations and to foster a culture where competence and accountability are paramount. The requirement for individual managers is to demonstrate professionalism, be role models and commit to continuous professional development.

68 per cent of managers surveyed confessed to being 'accidental' managers, not aspiring to occupy management roles at the start of their careers. Two in five admitted to not wanting the responsibility of managing people at all, while 63 per cent of managers say they had no management training. Only 28 per cent of managers hold any type of formal management qualification.

Ruth Spellman continued: "It's not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors and it shows. It's telling that the majority of individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we're going to stay competitive internationally, the Government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap. In what other profession would it be acceptable for only a quarter of practitioners to hold a professional qualification? The sad truth is that UK managers are no longer regarded as professional, competent or accountable. By signing up to the Manifesto, policy makers, managers and leaders can demonstrate their commitment to raising UK plc's game."

To take up CMI's challenge, pledge your support for a Better Managed Britain at www.managers.org.uk/manifesto

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