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Lack of managerial skill 'causes problems for staff'

May 28 2008

Bad management can lead to stress and other problems for employees, according to an employment expert.

Professor Cary Cooper from the Lancaster University Management School says that there are a number of 'negative consequences' due to underperforming managers.

'What ends up happening is people get overloaded, they get more stressed, have more burnout, become less productive and deliver less to the bottom line,' he comments.

Professor Cooper attributes high numbers of people taking time off for stress-related conditions to skills gaps among managers.

According to the National Employer Skills Survey 2007, there are almost 163,000 managers in England who have a skills gap - almost three quarters of these lack management skills.

The government's Train to Gain service has been established to support employers to improve the skills of their workforce at all levels in the organisation.

It assesses the need for support that an individual organisation has before assigning them a tailor-made strategy, explaining what type of skills they need to develop.

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