LONDON — More than 40 percent of British workers believe that, given the opportunity, they could outperform their boss, a new survey finds.
Researchers at Multilotto, a gambling startup, surveyed 2,000 workers in the United Kingdom, hoping to evaluate how workers felt about the performance of their direct supervisor.
The results showed that 44 percent of unhappy employees believed that they could do a better overall job than their boss, even if they were lacking in formal qualifications.
Around 20 percent of workers thought that their boss either worked them too hard, or needlessly delegated work that they should have completed. More than one-fourth of workers indicated feeling at least some resentment toward their superior, while about 10 percent had infuriated their boss to the point of causing them to lash out.
Perhaps surprisingly, nearly the same amount of workers (41 percent) who think they could outperform their higher-ups admit that they’d stood up to their boss during a conflict.
“Bosses are people too, but it’s difficult not to take issue when a manager malfunctions in the line of duty,” concludes Andrew Clarke, a Multilotto representative, in a press release. “A poor working relationship with your boss can have a rippling effect throughout other aspects of your life, so when things go awry, it is easy to fantasize about a situation where you could take the power back and right workplace wrongs.”
One in four English employees expressed overall dissatisfaction concerning their boss’ performance, while 13 percent felt that their boss was “dangerously incompetent” at their role.
Of course, when things reach a boiling point, plenty of workers recognized it was time to throw in the towel. About a third had quit a job in the past due to their boss, while 14 percent were seeking a new position to avoid their current manager
Others looked on the bright side and hoped change in the workplace could bring about better outcomes. Forty percent said that they would try to improve outcomes within their organization by tightening communication channels, while one-third would aim to distribute workplace tasks in a more efficient and equitable manner.
Twenty percent of those surveyed would show no mercy to underperforming coworkers in a managerial capacity, saying they would fire them.
Naturally, giving up a good job isn’t an easy thing to do. But that doesn’t stop us from dreaming. Almost half of those surveyed said they had thoroughly imagined the day they’d quit their job — even if their departure was ostensibly abrupt.
In the meantime, workers should look to more professional avenues within the organization to power through the tough times.
“We hope most employee-boss issues can be resolved through a call to HR, a cup of tea and an apology,” says Clarke.