There have been numerous studies extolling the terrible state of employee engagement levels within our organizations, but there are obviously various levels of disengagement.

One of the more damaging states of mind to enter into is that of the workplace cynic.  Just as such folks may have slowly crept into that mindset as a result of a bad manager, a recent study from the University of Toronto suggests that a good manager can eke them out of it.

Workplace perceptions

The authors began their study with the intent of better understanding how we view our employers, and the impact this had on both our loyalty to that employer and our overall job satisfaction.

“Companies invest a great deal in recruiting, training and mentoring their employees,” the authors say. “If employees have a negative view of their company, this may in turn affect their job performance and commitment to their organization, which can be problematic.”

The study saw several hundred employees from a number of industries asked about their level of cynicism and general engagement levels at work.  The results perhaps unsurprisingly revealed that cynicism generally rose in sync with a fall in engagement levels.

These findings were then built upon by exploring what impact a supportive manager might have on this attitude.  Another few hundred employees were quizzed about cynicism levels, but this time they were also asked whether their boss gave them career opportunities, regular feedback and so on.

The importance of support

The results were certainly interesting, for whilst supportive managers were able to reduce cynicism amongst their charges, they had little impact on employee loyalty.

“There are a lot of negative downstream effects with cynicism, so it’s important for organizations to do what they can in terms of limiting the effects,” the authors say.

The role of a good manager is likely to take on greater importance as cynicism at work rises to reflect the uncertain economic environment many of us work under.  There’s a strong temptation for employees to think that their employer is out for themselves.

This can be mitigated to an extent by treating people with respect and show support to help them achieve the goals they have for their life and career.

Of course, these are all things that should typify a good manager regardless of their motivation, but the study reminds us that now might be an especially important time to be exhibiting these traits.