Bosses: Your staff think you're inept

UK workers have hit out at their bosses, branding them as poor communicators and disorganised technophobes.

A quarter of employees believe their bosses need to improve communication skills while a fifth believe their bosses are disorganised.

A quarter also believe their bosses are technophobes – suggesting many are resisting change and failing to move with the times as IT becomes an increasingly important part of everybody's jobs.

Ebi Zadeh, executive director at Parity Training, who commissioned the research, told silicon.com: "We have a situation now where there is a skills gap as far as people being able to do their jobs well is concerned."

"You'd be amazed how many people still rely on sending faxes. But people's jobs have changed nowadays and they need to seize the initiative as far as handling the data they need more effectively and more efficiently."

Zadeh said in part this situation is due to age. Many middle-managers who predated recent technology booms have allowed themselves to stagnate while younger, more tech-savvy staff are nipping at their heels.

Recent research from Websense also suggested line managers and bosses are required to play a part in ensuring IT policies are in place and observed by their staff. Therefore a failure or a resistance to understand the role of technology at the higher end of the enterprise hierarchy will only perpetuate problems such as security breaches and mismanagement of IT assets.

Similarly a failure by management to understand the benefits of new technologies, such as advancements in mobile and wireless working, means many staff will still be bound to less effective ways of working.

Delegation is one area where bosses have got it nailed though. Only nine per cent of respondents to the Parity survey said their bosses need to improve delegation skills – which either suggests they are in control of workflow or not backwards about handing over their work to others.

While bosses may be in a 'comfort zone' in their current position, Zadeh urged them to remember that nobody is owed a living these days.

"We're in a climate of tough competition in the job market, so it's up to individuals and managers alike to keep themselves marketable and employable," he said.