More than half of managers say they regularly feel overwhelmed by work stress, while a third of employees say their boss is too stressed to support them, according to a recent survey of workers.
Some 54% of managers reported feeling “regularly burnt out” while 30% of workers said they notice their boss being stressed, according to the Who is the boss? Why leader wellbeing matters for business success study.
Managers in medium-sized companies with between 50 and 249 employees reported markedly higher stress than those in large companies, which the authors said could be an indication of larger organisations having more support structures in place.
Some 250 employees and 175 employers were interviewed for the study by psychotherapist Matthew Bartolo, the Willingness mental health clinic and The Malta Chamber of Commerce.
The majority (77%) of bosses reported high levels of stress, while 90% said they were dealing with large workloads, with the study describing reports of burnout as “critical”.
More than two-fifths (44%) of employers identified employees wanting competitive salaries as a key pressure, while at least a quarter pointed to a “lack of upward feedback or appreciation” and “employee resistance to change” as other challenges.
Bosses were generally confident in their leadership and believed employees are “committed to goals”, the survey said. It noted that business leaders in larger companies felt more confident, a difference it said could reflect higher levels of training or specialisation in people management.
‘Uncompetitive pay’
Employees, meanwhile, expressed feelings of trust in managers while frequently voicing concerns about communication gaps, limited growth, feeling undervalued and issues with work-life balance.
Two-thirds (66%) pointed to “uncompetitive pay, poor communication [and] lack of recognition” as major issues facing them at work. Most agreed they felt supported in the workplace, however.
Comparing perceptions of communication between managers and employees, the study highlighted that while almost a fifth (18%) of workers said they felt unappreciated by their bosses, more than a quarter (27%) of managers felt the same about their subordinates.
Salaries were identified as a challenge for both groups: “Both sides see it as a problem (employees want higher pay; employers feel pressure to provide it)”, the study said.
A Times of Malta fact-check in April last year found that while wages were on average around a quarter higher than in 2016, that figure dropped to just 6% after inflation was taken into account, with further drops seen when looking at median wages rather than average wages.
The study highlighted the experiences of an employer identified only as Vanessa, who said of staff members leaving her company: “I understand that they would want to leave for a much better pay in the gaming industry, but I can never compete with that”.
Fellow employer Joe, meanwhile, who employs 26 staff, also raised concerns about workers leaving for other companies, complaining they “expect training without commitment; we’re training them for their next job”.
‘Not us and them’
Speaking to Times of Malta, the study’s author said that despite the contrasting challenges highlighted by the report, “the most important thing is it’s not the idea of ‘us and them’ – let’s take care of each other.”
Asked whether employers, frequently compensated with higher pay packages than employees might therefore expect high levels of stress, Bartolo asked “but at what cost?” while emphasising company-wide benefits if bosses felt less overwhelmed.
Psychotherapist Matthew Bartolo. Photo: LinkedIn.
“A healthy leader is also a compassionate leader; the main takeaway is if a leader is taking care of themselves, it will shift the company culture,” he said, noting that employee awareness of bosses undertaking work tasks out of hours, for example, might make workers feel pressured to do the same.
“We’re in this together; stress affects all of us,” he said.
The study recommended improving communication within companies, including facilitating anonymous feedback, improving recognition of achievements and improving work-life balance, among other measures.
Two-fifths (40%) of respondents interviewed in one-to-one settings and focus groups were from small companies, while just over a quarter (27%) were from medium-sized companies, and 15% worked for a large organisation. Just under one-fifth (18%) were from micro organisations.
The full survey will be presented to attendees of the ‘Who is taking care of the boss?’ event on Wednesday morning. For further information, visit the Malta Chamber website.