Engineering Bosses
Imagine yourself in the shoes of Jason Bateman (but as an engineer) in the movie Horrible Bosses.
You have to work your bum off from sunrise to sunset (and longer), be shouted at for being just a couple minutes late, not be awarded the credit and praise you deserve for your tireless work, and see the promotion you are due go to someone else who does not deserve it in the slightest.
Worst of all – your boss is a complete and utter nightmare.
Many of the instances mentioned above are commonly experienced by numerous engineers.
A terrible boss results in a highly uninteresting work environment, which severely hampers motivation, productivity and progression. Not only is it bad for the company, but it is also bad for the employees and their bosses as well. While money, working hours and workplace locations are some of the factors behind engineers quitting jobs, the more common factor is having a horrible boss.
Most engineers quit their bosses, not their jobs.
Engineers are well justified most of the time in deserting their bosses, too. Ponder this – your boss is uninspiring, has zero leadership skills and is unable to guide you and your peers. Would you like to put in any effort for this person? Of course not. Some of the most common behaviors which make engineers lose faith in their bosses are yelling, addressing others with foul language (profanity), socializing excessively and taking credit for someone else’s work.
In a study conducted by Gallup, 30% of more than 350,000 participants said that they were merely ‘engaged’ in their jobs. This means that 70% employees are not performing to their full capacity. This results in an estimated $450 billion lost in U.S. productivity. The number alone shows just how significant the importance of having a capable manager is.
In another study performed by Gallup, 12% of more than 7,000 respondents said that they were perfectly happy with their bosses. They opted to go for the highest agreement rating, embodied by the statement ‘I feel I can approach my manager with any type of question’.
Respondents who chose this answer were very progressive in their work, and happier at work than their more dissatisfied counterparts.
This shows just how imperative it is to have a manager who offers openness to their staffers.
Being a boss is never easy. Managing all of the employees in itself is tough enough as it is, and making tough decisions and knowing that the consequences of those decisions will rest on their shoulders give bosses a headache more often than not. Hence, the candidates considered to be promoted to the rank of manager must be evaluated carefully.
Higher authorities must choose someone who has a strong will, steely determination and command respect from subordinates. This is asking a lot of one individual, but choosing the right person will ensure that the company is set for comfortable times ahead.
Conversely, choosing an incorrect person as the leader of the pack will result in performances going downhill.
As an old saying goes, it is never too late to learn. Bosses can try reaching out to their dissatisfied employees, discuss about their problems and figure out a solution. For example, if a manager has six happy engineers out of 10, then he/she can try to inspire and motivate the four dissatisfied engineers – two at a time, if needed – and raise spirits.
This would result in better relations between the employer and employee, and significantly improve working conditions and results. Moreover, managers can try and improve themselves for the sake of the better coordination with their engineers.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the happiness and satisfaction of the employees. Just as a king cannot have a peaceful kingdom with unhappy people, similarly a manager must know how to keep engineers content. Having motivated engineers will result in better productivity, and propel the company forwards.
What bosses need to understand is that dominating their authority on their members of staff does not bode well – instead they should focus on becoming positive role models for their subordinates.
After all, employees want a boss to be an inspiring leader, not a strict gym trainer.
