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Return to Article: Employees report more respect for managers than senior leaders

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  The results mentioned in the article about employees feeling more trust and security in their immediate bosses vice their senior leaders is not surprising at all. In fact, I'd really be surprised if it didn't turn out this way. The immediate boss is the one the workers see and deal with every day. This is the person (immediate boss) who helps them when problems come up (most times) whether job repeated or other. This is also the one who sees they get rewarded if deserving (and sometimes not), sees to it that the worker has what is needed to get the job done.

  Also, in some cases, the supervisor uses the Senior Leadership as a target for employee animosity concerning conditions or changes in procedures. It's the old "Hey, don't blame me I'm on your side; it is senior management that's doing this!" Senior leaders are very often a nebulous group that sit in offices and too often wouldn't be recognized by many of their employees and if they were recognized, employees wouldn't feel secure in addressing them other than to say hello.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 23, 2007 11:16 AM
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  Long ago, federal employees came to realize that these surveys are not confidential and can be traced back to their origins by management. Do you think an employee will really indicate how they feel about their boss under such circumstances?

  It is, more or less, just another way of generating propaganda. It helps OPM with recruiting and helps management justify themselves. That doesn't mean the information is factual.

  Robert M. Posted January 18, 2007 1:42 PM
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  My experience as a senior leader has been that few managers who are generally first line or second line supervisors have the backbone to address issues with employees that are "difficult." Often I hear within my own office of things that "I" have dictated when in fact I did not. It is easier to say "he or she is making me do this" rather than saying this is how we are to work and operate in this office and what the first line supervisor expects. The best managers in government are those that show commitment to the job and aren't afraid to address performance or conduct issues on their own. So it doesn't surprise me a bit how senior leaders are viewed because often they are responsible for all the bad stuff and others are responsible for the good stuff.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 18, 2007 9:26 AM