A recent study by jobs.lu investigated relationships between Luxembourg employees and their managers. 
One in five Luxembourg employees states that their relationship with their manager has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic. 
Faced with a potential return to the workspace, almost one in three employees reports not wanting to go back to the office to work with their manager. 

Luxembourg, 24th Febuary 2022 – In the second quarter of 2021, jobs.lu conducted a survey on the working population, in the hope of getting a better idea of the relationship that employees have with their manager, as well as their perception of one another. In the current context, a large part of this study, which numbered 470 employees and team leaders in Luxembourg, was concerned with better understanding how these relationships evolved during the pandemic.

For instance, the employees were asked how their relationship with their manager had changed since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, as well as their opinions concerning the return to the office. 

The importance of a manager’s support

One in five employees states that their relationship with their manager has deteriorated since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the surveyed individuals, 64% declare that the quality of their relationship has not changed. 

Those who judge that their relationship has worsened blame a lack of support from the manager, for 59.2% of respondents, and a decrease in interaction, for 40%. On the other hand, those who state that their relationship has improved report having received increased support from their manager (47%), and saw interactions double during this time (40%), despite the distance. Furthermore, 47% of these individuals feel more productive at work. 

The return to the office: a critical issue

The return to the office post-pandemic has been another critical issue for companies. The survey asked the workers to evaluate “their desire to return to the office with their manager”. 

Only 15% of respondents reported truly wanting to return (thus rating the relevant statement as a 10). On the other hand, 16% of respondents did not wish to even consider this as a possibility (thus rating the relevant statement as a 1). 

Overall, almost one employee out of three (29%) states that they do not want to return to their workplace to see their manager (thus rating the statement below 5). If we add the number of people who rated the statement as a 5, the percentage jumps to 44%.

“These results reveal the importance of a manager’s role, and the development of their position in relation to their teams, in the context of returning to the workplace. Being forced to work from home, away from the office, has often made employees feel left alone or abandoned. The survey shows that 41% of the respondents feel like their efforts in this context have not been appropriately recognised or rewarded, explains Arthur Meulman, CEO of jobs.lu. Maintaining consistent communication and giving feedback is instrumental in a remote working context.” 

What are the employees’ expectations regarding their manager?

In the context of returning to the office, it is more important than ever for managers to encourage collaboration, and to maintain a team spirit that will motivate everyone to perform better as a team. They must also take their team’s expectations of them into account. 

However, in practice, what do employees want from their management? According to the survey:

• 6 out of 10 employees expect their manager to clearly define what is expected of them.
• Half of the respondents want their manager to support them in their career development by putting training programmes in place.
• 1 in 2 employees would like their manager to provide clear objectives and performance indicators.
• 4 out of 10 employees would like regular one-on-one conversations to be scheduled.
• 1 employee out of 3 would like specific feedback about the quality of their work.

“In a context where companies are struggling to recruit the right skills, it is more important than ever to take these expectations into account, and to be able to adapt the manager’s role accordingly, Arthur Meulman continues. It is particularly crucial to train management in communication and supporting their teams, to ensure everyone reaches the objectives set, flourishes in their work and grows within the company.” 

Methodology

As part of its “Employee-manager relationships” survey, jobs.lu submitted a questionnaire relating to working relations between employees and managers to a sample of employees and managers working in Luxembourg. 

The questionnaire focused on: each participant’s expectations and experiences in terms of professional relations, and on how the way management handled the pandemic impacted these relations. 

The questionnaire, available in English and French, was completed on Friday 13 August 2021 by 470 participants, of whom 313 were employees. The data collected is intended to reveal a snapshot of the situation experienced by employees and managers in Luxembourg. These data are sensitive to the time and the situation experienced at the time of the survey. Our analysts sifted through the results to ensure that the representation and validity of respondents’ responses was accurate.