Managers at small firms could be failing to live up to their employees' expectations, a new survey shows.
The Krauthammer Observatory 2008 report found that although workers have clear expectations of what their bosses should be doing, there are gaps between this and the reality.
It reveals that while 91 per cent of staff think their managers should help them analyse work difficulties, only 47 per cent believe this actually happens.
The study also found that three-quarters of respondents want leaders to "create the right context" before implementing change in the workplace, but one third state this is the case.
Ronald Meijers, head of research at Krauthammer, said: "It is striking that the fundamental management notion of helping people forward is so weak.
"Like parenting, management is very difficult to do well and is both undervalued and under-supported. This is a mistake, management is about people's lives - it is simply too important to neglect."
Recently, a study by Learndirect Business found that many employees feel they have skills which could be going to waste as managers have not asked about them.
