Female bosses ‘more in tune with modern ways of working’

Female bosses are more tolerant of employees doing personal chores during work hours and more likely to rate staff  on performance, new research has shown.

Female bosses are more tolerant of employees doing personal chores during work hours and more likely to rate staff  on performance, new research has shown.

Women are more likely to appreciate the fact that staff have to maintain a work–life balance and only address the issue if employees are behind in their work, according to the survey of 1,000 bosses commissioned by Vodafone.

Spotting that their staff are on Facebook, Twitter or shopping websites, or overhearing them making personal calls is more likely to make a male boss angry than a female one, says the survey.

Female bosses are also more likely to take the personal situation of staff into account when it comes to managing and reprimanding their staff. They were more likely to be aware of – and sympathetic to – problems that people may be having in their personal life, it adds.

In contrast, the survey found male bosses were more inclined to tell employees off for letting home life get in the way of work, and admitted to having to do so on a daily basis.

Most bosses agreed that the line between work and personal lives has become more blurred since staff started using smartphones and working from home. Seven out of ten said they think the 9-5 is slowly dying out and that flexible working is the way forward for the benefit of their company and for their staff.

Peter Kelly from Vodafone UK said: “What this research shows is that a cultural shift has started. For many people in the UK, the way we work is changing. Britain’s bosses are realising that successful businesses must focus on generating results, not on monitoring what employees do at their desks.

“It confirms that we are seeing the end of the traditional 9-5 office working pattern. A new generation of workers is coming through the ranks. They prefer fitting work around their lives rather than the other way around.

“People are comfortable working away from their desks and don’t mind doing some work in the evening or at the weekend. But in return, they expect bosses to cut them some slack so they can do a few personal chores, make a private phone call or check Facebook during traditional work time.

“Working smarter, not harder has become a bit of a cliché, but that’s exactly what’s needed, and the technology now exists to make this a reality. Therefore, finding ways to effectively harness technology to the benefit of businesses and employees should be high on the list of priorities for UK bosses.” 

He added: “Clearly Britain’s bosses are open to the ‘Generation Y’ ways of working. However, we have still got a long way to go for businesses to realise that this change in working culture and attitudes can actually benefit them. For instance, we’ve seen many of our own customers who are reducing their reliance on physical office space and saving costs because employees can now work effectively from just about anywhere.“

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