5 Signs of Poor Management (2024)

Excellent management can be the key to a successful business. When a company is well-managed and sticks to a routine that works, it can help keep the workers focused and on task. Enforcing good habits can help you create a work environment where your employees appreciate their jobs and want to do their best each day. This helps to create a successful employee-retention rate and that helps improve productivity across the board.

On the other hand, when a business owner has poor management skills, it can create chaos in the workplace. If you feel that your company leaders and supervisors could be the blame for your business’s drop in production, you should take a look at their management skills.

5 Signs of Poor Management in the Workplace

Poor management in the workplace can cause your business to suffer. If you are unsure about what is causing productivity to drop, here are a few signs to look out for.

1. Excessive Oversight

A supervisor who micromanages everything and nitpicks every little mistake is a prime example of someone with poor management skills. Employees are not seen as worthwhile members of a team by these managers. That can cause those workers to feel discouraged and uninterested in their jobs. By enforcing positive recognition in the workplace, you will quickly see how resourceful it can be instead of micromanagement tactics.

2. Poor Communication Skills

All management must provide their workers with clear instructions on what needs to be done. If the manager is unable to express these tasks clearly, it can lead to many problems. Work may not be completed on time because too many workers didn’t understand the instructions. Having a leader who can explain directions clearly and let everyone know what their expectations are for the team will help your employees carry out their tasks with confidence.

3. Leaders Unwilling to Listen or Adapt

It’s important to allow your employees to provide feedback. Many times a company could use recommendations from their workers to find out if their current processes are sufficient. Management who isn’t willing to listen to the feedback from those they supervise will not have a thriving team. It’s important that everyone works together and if someone has a suggestion, they should at least be heard. When managers seem to have too much pride to listen to their employees, the business will lack innovation and productivity will suffer.

4. Poor Attitude or a Lack of Honesty

If a manager is cranky or generally unpleasant to be around, no one will want to work under their supervision. Managers who have a bad attitude or lack of honesty will eventually create toxicity in the work environment. That is something that no one looks forward to working in each day. It’s important to consider your choices for management positions wisely. Be sure to present the job to someone who will listen to the team, and the team will want to listen to it in return.

5. Management Not Making Good Use of Employee Skills

Any time management doesn’t make good use of an employee, the entire company suffers. Understanding what your employee’s strongest skills are and allowing them to use those skills for the benefit of the company is one of the best things any manager can do. Those who do not take the time to learn more about their team member’s skills are missing out. They fail to see the talent and improvements these individuals could bring to the business.

About Dr. Ryan Giffen

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Ryan Giffen is an expert in human relations and business culture. His career began in hospitality, leading operations and human resource departments for Fortune 500 companies and the like. Not long after, Ryan found his passion for teaching and consulting. He earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Management with a Human Resources focus from Iowa State University and now works as an assistant professor at California State University, Long Beach. For over a decade, he continues to research and speak on organizational culture, relationship intelligence, and leadership effectiveness. Ryan is also the founder of Inospire, a company helping bosses and employees build stronger relationships with one another.Lastly, Dr. Giffen is producer and host of the Corporate Shadow Podcast. a show helping everyday employees overcome workplace nonsense.