The research also shows that the most popular type of manager is someone who delegates (43%), followed by someone who is firm but fair (24%), and someone who looks after employees' careers (11%).

Commenting on the findings, Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People (UK), said,

“The fact that almost a third of employees would like a new manager should make bosses sit up and take notice.  With good communication ranked the most important quality of a good boss, managers need to focus their efforts on setting clear tasks and targets for their staff, and linking an employees’ role to the organisation’s overall mission.

“Managers should also take note of the messages around delegation, remaining firm but fair, and the importance of looking after their people’s careers.  This is vital information in helping managers better understand how to keep staff motivated and delivering effectively.  By entrusting employees with more responsibility, and mapping out a path for progression within an organisation, managers can ensure their staff give their all in a way that will sustain productivity and the success of their organisation well into the future.”

Other results from the survey were:

· Long-term employees are considerably less happy with their managers than newer recruits, with nearly three quarters of new recruits (74%) claiming to be happy with their bosses – a figure that dropped to 67% after three years with the same organisation and 62% after six years.  Long-term employees feel this malaise so strongly that they are almost twice as likely to want to change their manager as their new colleagues (37% compared to 20%).

· Employees in larger organisations are more likely to want to change their manager. Over a third (31%) of those working at a organisation with over 1,000 staff would like a new boss, compared to only 24% in companies with up to 50 employees (50-249 employees: 26%; 250+ employees: 27%)

· The longer an employee stays at an organisation, the more highly they value their manager's honesty; 85% of those who have worked for more than 10 years at their organisation rate this quality as very important compared to only 70% of new recruits.

- Ends -

Notes to editors

1) "New and recent recruits" refer to those who have been at an organisation for less than a year.

2) YouGov interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of over 1,700 working adults throughout UK & Ireland in June 2006.  Those who are self-employed and work on their own were excluded.  The full sample has been weighted to the known profile of the GB and Northern Ireland population. 

Investors in People:

• The Investors in People Standard provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness through good practice in human resource development.

• An organisation that has achieved the Standard has been successful in adopting and maintaining its three fundamental principles: Plan - developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation, from business goals to leadership strategies; Do - implementing those strategies, taking action to improve the performance of the organisation; Review - evaluating and adjusting those strategies, measuring their impact on the performance of the organisation.

• The Investors in People Standard is promoted and developed by Investors in People UK - a public body whose main stakeholder is the Department for Education and Skills.

• The Investors in People Standard is delivered by a partner network:

1. In England, the network of Investors in People Regional Quality Centres.

2. In Scotland, contact Scottish Enterprise (SE) or Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for details of the Investors in People Standard.

3. In Wales, the Business Skills Delivery Team at the Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, Welsh Assembly Government.

4. In Northern Ireland, the Department for Employment of Learning delivers the Investors in People Standard.