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WHO WANTS TO BE THE BOSS?
Survey Reveals Employees Don’t Want Their Manager’s Job

As the presidential candidates campaign for the role of commander in chief, a new survey shows the average worker is decidedly less enthusiastic about taking the lead. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of employees polled said they have no desire to fill their manager’s shoes. In addition, six in 10
(60 percent) said they could not do a better job than their boss.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 602 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

Workers who have a boss were asked, “Would you like to have your manager’s job?” Their responses:

No 77%
Yes 20%
Don’t know/no answer 3%
100%

These respondents also were asked, “Do you think you could do a better job than your boss?” Their responses:

No 60%
Yes 33%
Don’t know/no answer 7%
100%

The survey also revealed demographic differences among respondents: In general, workers 18 to 34 years showed the most interest in their manager’s position (32 percent) and were more likely to believe they could do a better job (43 percent). Men were more inclined than women to want their manager’s job: 32 percent versus 10 percent. Likewise, slightly more male workers thought they could do a better job than their boss (38 percent) compared to women (30 percent).

Full survey results can be found in the OfficeTeam press room.

“Employees who observe their boss often don’t envy the budgeting and personnel decisions he or she has to make, particularly in a challenging economy, and they may conclude the job isn’t for them,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of OfficeTeam.

Willmer cautioned that managers might be hindering their own professional growth if few of their employees seek to advance to supervisory roles. “If no one on your staff is interested in assuming greater responsibilities, it will be hard for you to advance,” he added. “Supervisors should have a succession plan in place to identify top performers and groom them for promotion opportunities.”

About OfficeTeam
OfficeTeam provides businesses with the highly skilled administrative professionals they need to maximize productivity, achieve cost efficiency and support full-time staff. The staffing firm has more than 300 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

Survey Methodology
The national survey was developed by OfficeTeam. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 602 full- or part-time office workers from a starting sample of 2,000 adults aged 18 or older, using a fully replicated, stratified, single-stage random-digit-dialing sample of households. The results were then weighted to provide nationally representative and projectable estimates of the adult population 18 years of age and older. The sample is post-stratified and balanced by key demographics such as age, sex, race, region and education.

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