What matters to your managers?

The conference took place on Thursday 7 March.

The talk was called ‘What Matters to your Managers?’

Sixty Eight People has a team of 23 recruiters and trainers based in offices across Manchester and London.

The agency talks to thousands of managers every year. It held more than 3000 hours of conversations with managers, both passive and active jobhunters, last year.

It documented why people were looking to leave their current employer and their reasons for staying.

The business holds an annual survey of more than 300 managers, from assistance to operations, to gather their perspective.

It found more than half (57%) of managers would be open to moving jobs, and 44% felt their company didn’t care about their career goals.

Furthermore, 36% felt companies did not give training or support, or realise their full potential.

Need for support

Some 36% also felt they did not get enough support to maintain a work/life balance, while 38% felt their company did not care about their physical or mental health.

Many operations managers are really struggling, according to Dunn. This is because they feel they are in charge of engaging with teams but feel what they want is not being delivered to them.

The driving factors for hunting for other jobs were a lack of progression in their current role (83%), people culture (72%), transparency/communication (50%), work/life balance (42%), recognition (35%) and pay (31%).

On the plus side, people were opting to stay at work when the company offered them support, and the leaders and managers lived the business’ values.

Access to the leadership team and genuine opportunities for collaboration were other reasons staff chose to stay put.

SixtyEight People’s research also revealed insights about passive job hunters. It showed they were having limited conversations about their development at work, something had bene overpromised and underdelivered to them, or costs were being cut without an explanation as to why.

A lack of clarity around bonuses or how to access benefits was another reason staff were passively seeking for other jobs.

Honesty is key

So what do staff want? Dunn said they want a slick interview process with clarity and transparency. She said it was important to be honest in an interview about what was going on with the business.

Additionally, she said they want a bespoke introduction and great communication – especially around paperwork and offer letters.

While it sounds simple, she warned people were walking away from business is this aspect was poor.

Dunn added that they do not want low balling offers.

Clarity, radical candour and empathy are all qualities that matter to management, she said.