Poor relationships between employees and their managers are one of the top reasons given by people considering leaving their jobs, shows a survey from Towers Watson, a global professional services company. The cause of this could be ineffective communication.

The 2014 Global Workforce Study reveals that a third of managers are not coaching employees on how to grow in their role and only a third are involving employees in decisions that affect them. In addition, a quarter of managers are failing to accurately evaluate performance with personal development reviews.

These managerial failings are often the cause of stress in the workplace among UK employees. While 37% of employees acknowledge that their manager is short on time, lack of support, recognition and feedback can eventually lead staff to look elsewhere.

Radha Chakraborty, UK leader, talent management and organisational alignment, Towers Watson, says, “We know from our research and consulting with clients that employers are currently facing huge challenges in retaining high performers and those with critical skills in their workforce. Our findings also show that companies are underestimating how important their immediate team dynamics are in securing the long-term commitment of their employees.

The managers surveyed mostly had less than ten direct reports and tended to spend the same amount of time with all of them, rather than prioritising the best or most recent hires.

“Time and resource pressures are an ongoing theme for UK PLC but implementing efficient and clear processes, as well as equipping managers with the right technology, can help them to improve the working environment for their team members.” Radha adds.