Launched in 10 countries across Europe, Latin America and Asia, the Cegos international barometer, published Thursday, June 12, and entitled “First-time managers: Understanding and supporting a key population for organizational performance and transformation,” took a dual approach to the issue. For this study, the training organization surveyed 4,271 employees taking on managerial responsibilities for the first time and 441 human resources directors or managers (HR/training).
The results reveal that management teams inviting employees to become managers often face refusals – more so in France than elsewhere. In France, 56% of HR managers surveyed believed that identified employees did not want to move into a managerial role, compared to 36% among HR managers in all countries surveyed. British and American respondents referred to this phenomenon as “conscious unbossing.”
Why is this reluctance more pronounced in France than elsewhere? Is it due to the unflattering image of entry-level managers? In comedy sketches, TV series and especially on social media, “petits chefs” (overbearing junior managers) are often mocked, many depicted as trapped between the demands of upper management and pressure from their teams.
The specific characteristics of French management also play a role, according to Laurence Ballereaud, project director at Cegos: “Our practices appear more vertical and hierarchical than those of our European neighbors, according to a recent study by the IGAS [the French General Inspectorate of Labor Affairs]. One could hypothesize that this figure of 56% does not reflect a rejection of the managerial role itself, but rather a criticism of our current organizational model.” Hence the need for employers to move more quickly toward a horizontal and participatory model that would make such positions more attractive.
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Another reason that may explain the reluctance to climb the ladder is the heavy workload borne by managers – 67% reported an increase in their working hours, and the figure rose to 77% in France. This is partly due to the insufficient implementation of the right to disconnect. Within many companies, “frontline managers enforce it for their teams, but much less for themselves. The notion persists in France that this role means working long hours and controlling everything,” noted Ballereaud. This can lead to fatigue and have a discouraging effect, especially since reaching entry-level management does not necessarily result in a higher hourly wage, as the workload increases.
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