Do you take your good boss for granted?

Let’s be honest: you do want a good boss, but do you really appreciate one if you are fortunate enough to have a superior who actually nurtures and takes care of you at work?

Bosses, because it’s their job to make us work, are not very popular.

They are supposed to be firm with employees when it comes to work.

Some wise men say if you are in control of things, especially administration, you have to be ruthless at work.

With changing times, the concept of leadership and the behaviour of bosses have changed.

It’s no longer about leading people without having a clue of what’s happening with those following.

The idea of a man on the pedestal dictating and giving instructions to the team has been replaced by somebody who walks along with the team and takes people together with him.

And so evolved the theory of a good boss, the best places to work for and the so-called people’s companies.

It’s a tough task keeping both the employees and the shareholders happy.

From an employee’s perspective, a perfect boss should be one who can show empathy and people skills, have flexibility and knowledge, experience, motivation and the ability to motivate others, passion and somebody who can make one enjoy work.

These are traits of a good boss, one we would certainly like to have at work.

Sadly, however, many such heads are taken for granted by those who report to her/him.

A recent study by IMD Business School, carried out in collaboration with University College London and published in the latest issue of the Academy of Management Journal, reveals that caring bosses who help employees with their personal and work problems shouldn’t expect gratitude, loyalty and commitment in return.

The study highlights that most managers believe offering emotional support will benefit their company yet most employees simply view such shows of kindness as part of their superiors’ duties and have no intention of working any harder by way of saying thank-you.

As a result, bosses who lend a helping hand must manage their own expectations, as they may find themselves frustrated with their staff’s lack of appreciation, it states.

“Managers and employees alike appreciate that controlling negative emotions can be important within an organisation.”

“But it seems there’s a marked difference in how the two parties believe this sort of support should be perceived and how they think employees should respond to it,” said research co-author Professor Ginka Toegel.

“Managers tend to regard emotional support as above and beyond their responsibilities and therefore worthy of reciprocation in the form of greater commitment.

“For example, they might think an employee they have helped should have no qualms about working a little bit harder or staying a little bit later to meet a deadline.

“Unfortunately, employees just don’t see it like that. They view emotional support as part and parcel of what their superiors do and are paid good money for. Consequently, the shows of gratitude may never arrive – and the negativity can end up perpetuated not by the employee but by the manager, who feels terribly let down,” added Professor Toegel.

The findings emerged from an in-depth study of workers at a successful recruiting agency that specialises in providing managers for the service sector.

Dozens of employees took part in interviews and questionnaires to examine whom they turned to for emotional help and how they felt such support should be viewed.

Around three quarters of lower-level workers and middle managers reported receiving support from their superiors – but not one expressed a feeling of personal debt.

“Some managers expressed social motives for offering support, or ‘the right thing to do’. But even they expected they would gain something in return, perhaps in the form of increased recognition from those they helped and from their own superiors,” said Professor Anand Narasimhan of IMD.

“Others expected purely practical gains, taking the view that helping to address employees’ negative emotions would ultimately benefit sales and profits.

“Based on our findings, maybe the lesson for all concerned is to avoid unrealistic expectations – especially in an era when so much of economic life is built on services.

“The fact is that managers do benefit from a happy team in terms of productivity and results, even without any additional displays of loyalty and commitment.

“Some manifestation of gratitude beyond that would be very nice, of course, but there’s no reason for bitterness or hand-wringing if it doesn’t happen to materialise,” he added.

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