British workers want a manager with whom they can talk to about their personal life, according to research

A study of 2,000 workers found 48 per cent enjoy talking to their boss about what is going on at home.

And 38 per cent claim they have stayed in a job for longer than expected due to having a good relationship with management.

Other traits considered important in a manager include treating people well, listening to concerns and showing respect to other staff.

Working well as part of a team and encouraging others to do well were also cited as other key requirements.

Two in five (40 per cent) valued their manager being organised, while 39 per cent said it was important their boss understood their workload.

It also emerged 62 per cent felt they worked for a good leader – but 24 per cent said they had a bad manager.

Daniel Mason, VP EMEA for people analytics company Visier, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s important workers are able to have a direct relationship with their manager.

“Having open lines of communication and understanding how best to work is vital to getting the best out of the workforce and keeping staff happy.

“Every organisation already has a wealth of employee data.

“Using this, modern tools and analytics can help generate insights to help you better understand and manage talent, providing a more fulfilling workplace experience for all.”

The survey, carried out via OnePoll, also found the main traits of a bad manager included having a boss who doesn’t listen (49 per cent) and being unapproachable (47 per cent).

Being shouted at (42 per cent) and setting unrealistic targets (40 per cent) were also among the worst traits.

A lack of face-to-face meetings (51 per cent), working from home and increased reliance on emails (both 44 per cent) were seen as having a negative impact on working relationships.

However, 74 per cent said flexible working had been a good thing for employees, while 69 per cent it had also been good for businesses.

Enjoying your work (45 per cent), good pay (39 per cent) and good colleagues (35 per cent) were the three most important factors to a happy work environment, closely followed by a good manager (35 per cent).

Daniel Manson added: “It is the responsibility of every business to make sure they give managers the right tools needed to better understand their staff, in order for them to effectively drive capacity and performance in the new world of work.

“Combining workforce insights, with work insights, and getting these in front of the right people managers, can ensure for a more fulfilling workplace experience.”

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