To ask how many of you have actually had a good manager?

[ThatGutsyRubyBiscuit]

I’ve been working for over 12 years and thinking back, I can’t name a single manager who’s genuinely had a positive impact on me. Some were outright awful, some were just meh but I’ve never had one I’d describe as genuinely good. I’ve seen good ones on other teams, just never mine.

I don’t have a high bar either. I don’t need to be best friends with my manager or get special treatment. I just want someone competent, fair and who actually wants to manage people but even that feels rare. The only people I know who rave about their manager actually happen to be the ones getting clear favouritism.

AIBU to think most managers either don’t want the job or shouldn’t be doing it?

AIBU to think most managers either don’t want the job or shouldn’t be doing it?

I think many managers would agree with you. However, too many businesses are structured in such a way that in order to achieve any level of seniority and promotion in your area of work, you also have to become a people manager, despite managing people and managing workflows or processes being entirely separate skill sets.

I’ve had a handful of great managers, because they were genuinely interested in people and getting the best out of them, rather than just being required to take on the responsibility in order to progress.

Me and my manager are really good friends, it’s just 3 of us and we fairly rotate what days we are in the office so we can all get days at home

if I need to switch days or leave early to get my daughter who just started school it’s no problem

she let me change my hours to suit around school so I can come after drop off some days and don’t need to use breakfast club and I only need after school twice a week now because if my flexible hours

im never micromanaged and she very rarely checks up on what I’m doing! Just leaves me to it as I know my job and what I need to be doing and getting done.

so I think she’s great tbh

I'm 25 (in a few months) and my line manager (who is 28) is absolutely excellent. She's very supportive of me and always seeks to help me do well. She's often gone above and beyond in helping me with projects. After my one year review she directly told me how happy she is with how far I've progressed.

I’ve had some truly terrible managers but the current one is very good. Treats the team like adults capable of managing their workload, juggling commitments etc. interested in our wellbeing. But always professional about it.

I had a fantastic manager in my first tech job. He was very unpopular among the general staff, but within our department he was highly respected. He was Polish, and I think some people just didn’t get him, but working closely with him was a privilege. He was brilliant at what he did and had a gift for teaching. He explained things clearly. We had a board in the department where he’d write notes and complex sequences, and he’d tell us to take notes. We all used to groan as soon as he brought out the marker pen! At first we thought he was hilarious, but we later realised how much he had taught us. Our expertise as a team was recognised company-wide and even by external support. He was kind too, although people assumed otherwise because he was a big man and gruff in his manner. But he listened. He wanted to know about home situations we might never have spoken of, things that affected our work, and he worked around them. In the early days, if we got something wrong e.g misconfigured something or made a mistake, he never exposed the culprit. He took the blame, fixed it, and protected his team. Then he’d give you a bollocking in private and make you go over every detail again about 100 times. He was funny too, but only we saw that side of him. Loved him!

I’ve had a couple of good ones over the years. Some not so good, some indifferent.

There are lots of employees who repeatedly have issues with management but who fail to reach the conclusion that the problem isn’t the managers.

I've had great to epically awful. My current manager is fab - she listens and supports, but lets us do our thing. I'm pretty senior, so don't need my work allocated, or anything, but it's good to have her support and backing,
I've always tried to be the type of manager I would appreciate - but with the understanding that everyone is not made equal with the support they require,

Just one incredible one in 20+ years. And tbh it's made it worse for me overall, as I used to assume such a thing didn't exist, now I know what could be, but, alas, isn't. I really do believe that leadership is innate and can't really be taught. You just have to hope you get someone with 'it'.

Saying that, most have been 'ok'. Only one truly awful one, who very definitely got there through longevity not suitability!

My current boss is great. It's only the two of us, which would have been awful if we didn't get on, but we have a good laugh. I actually see him as my very annoying little brother. If I need a day off or to work from home, its never an issue.

I have had one excellent manager. He was really made for managing, seemed to enjoy it, and did it well. Right amount of involvement (not too micro-manager-y, but not too hands off), right amount of delegation, right amount of training, right amount of support.

Out of 5,one was bloody amazing
(In my current job)

She knew what needed doing and got it done,was easy to speak to,was very supportive and was a lovely person

The others?
One was narcissistic and phobic of everything (rasist,homophobic,transphobic and hated women-if you where not a tall white man,he hated you)
Nasty,bossy and loved to make young women feel small and would try to touch them up (for a lot of them this was their first jobs and they felt powerless)
He left before he was pushed (a group of us women got together and went to the main bosses with our complaints and they let him resign instead of sacking him)

Next was all mouth and a nasty look on her face but nothing else
She would hide away and refused to speak to anyone (but would lay it on thick about 'any problems come and talk to me' but if you tried,she'd scream at you)
She would spend hours doing nothing but she had a knack of looking busy at the same time and seemed to spend her time kissing the arse of her boss
She hated me and made it clear (that feeling was mutual)
She moved to another store

The next was gay and hated any female who was straight/men
She was downright nasty and lazy
Totally incapable of doing the job and blames everyone else for her failings
She leaves hours before she's meant to and gets paid for this (which is a massive no-no)
She moved to another store where she's just as hated

The one we have now just screams at people
She thinks I dislike her (shes right,I do) but I keep it professional to her face and she really doesn't like me and makes it known
She cannot communicate the basics (due to personal reasons,I asked to start a tiny bit later for two shifts,she agreed and then I got a phone call asking where the hell i was as she hadn't passed it on and I got into trouble-i did sort this out but could have been avoided if shed told that manager who's shift it was in the first place)
She cannot do the job at all and it's everyone else's fault

I want the first manager back!

I'm off on leave at the moment and just checked my work emails to see that my manager has asked me why a particularly complex piece of work isn't complete.
I don't expect any special treatment but he knows I'm off due to the anniversary.of my dh, made worse by the fact that there's been 3 other deaths in quick succession, the last only a few weeks ago.The final stage of the work wasn't completed because he asked me to attend other events but obviously expecting me to complete the task during my days off.
The complexity of the task requires at least 3 staff members to sign it off so I can't rush it but he obviously expected me to do the donkey work and he would sign his name to it.
No urgency with this task whatsoever and it's all about getting it right as it involves a high investment.
No, I don't have good management.

I’ve had mostly good managers, but a couple of shocking ones.

A range really, one or two borderline demonic, most OK, a couple or 3 wonderful, inspiring and supportive of their teams. The best ones were also very good at the jobs they were promoted from and had reached the "level" they wanted to be at so weren't desperately chasing the next stage, which I think made them more able to resist undue pressure "from above" and speak their minds.

My first manager 25 years ago, at Lynn Poly (now Tui!) - she was brilliant and still a good friend.

I then worked in a very busy call centre - there were quite a few managers there, the majority were simply obnoxious, arrogant arseholes except for two, one of which is my sons godmother.

Now, my line manager (also director of company) is my Brother in Law and he’s a fantastic manger to us all. I love my job, the people and what I do.

I’ve found the worst managers are the most confident ones. They’re like teenage boys - they think they know it all!

The two best managers I have had have been women. I like my current manager as well - also female.

Managing people is just a pain in the arse. In fact it’s the least enjoyable part on my job. I’ve had years of mentoring and encouraging and yet a significant minority will do as little as possible and then see what else they can get away with. Eventually I developed an uncompromising management style of letting everybody know what the job is, what it entails and what I expect from everyone. Critical to that is the recruitment process. If we get that right we employ the right ppl. However, given the choice of not having to manage ppl then I’d jump at it.

It’s interesting to see what people class as a good manager. For me:-

• genuine interest and time spent on developing me
• professional courtesy about personal life / knows what’s going on at home
• doesn’t moan to junior team members about their own workload
• raises up their direct reports - doesn’t try to undermine them or take credit for their work
• is considerate with annual leave - doesn’t just expect that their own requests will be accommodated regardless of what their team would like
• maintains professionalism about other employees - no gossiping or moaning about their manager
• doesn’t micromanage but is there to support
• gives clear and consistent unsolicited feedback

My current manager is dreadful and I try to use my experience with bad managers to make myself a better one.

Women managers that I’ve had have either been outstanding or fucking awful (most the latter). A lot of mediocre men.

My current manager is great. She leaves me alone to get on with stuff but will support me if I ask. She has my back and those of the wider team. She campaigns on our team's behalf with senior leadership. In fact if it wasn't for her and the great department she has built I'd have left this place some time ago!!

My last manager was brilliant, unfortunately the company made her redundant. I now report to the Divisional Ops Director, who is fucking clueless.

Does anyone see their manager in their head as their "work mum/dad"

I have - I’ve had I think… 2 genuinely decent-hearted and very competent managers out of 8.

No, apart from it being creepy, I’m older than them.

Mine is pitiful.

He just hired someone who is 27, no industry experience, and who is 2 pay levels (about 25k) above 5 of us.

All of whom have been in the industry on average 15 years. And we are all over 40.

His lack of foresight is shocking.

How does he expect this to have a positive influence on the team?

Reader, it won't.