We've all had one. A boss that has read all the Richard Branson management books, completed all the courses and thinks they are a fantastic leader who is liked and respected by their employees. But the truth is often the opposite: staff morale is low, turnover is high, and bosses bitching is a typical Friday staff drinks activity.

So how do you know what your staff think of you? How do you know if you're a BAD BOSS?

Here are some tips:

1. They don't share information.



If your employees are not sharing information candidly with you regarding what is happening in the business, this means they don't trust you. They keep back information that could be critical for the business to themselves to guard against the backlash. If problems come to the surface in your business after the fact and you keep asking yourself, "Why didn't anyone tell me?!".... this could be you!

2. They don't give you compliments.



Yes, we are all told it is vital to give regular feedback and compliments to the staff, but employees who respect and admire their manager will do likewise. On the other hand, no compliments probably mean they don't think you deserve any.

3. Everyone is gone by 5 pm.



If your staff never stay back to go above and beyond the call of duty, then this is a big red flag. They are simply not engaged with either you or the business.

4. They avoid eye contact.



If you chat with your employees and notice they never look you in the eye and appear nervous or fidgety, this is a problem. Chances are they see you as intimidating and cannot discover how to build rapport or a relationship with you.

5. They tell you nothing about their personal life.



You have an issue if all you know is about your employees' work-life. Simply, they either don't trust that you will not use this against them or think that you simply don't care.

6. You're not invited to staff-organised social events.



This is a bad sign if everyone heads out the door and sneaks around the corner for a drink without you. It probably means they want to gossip about you and your poor management in private.

7. No one has asked you to mentor them.



If you are a great leader, you will have your employees lined up asking directly or indirectly for you to mentor them. If this isn't the case, they simply don't think they can learn anything from you, which probably means they will not hang around.

We are all human and can slip up at times. So if, after reading the above tips, you think you may have a perception problem with your staff, the good news is that if you are honest with yourself and shift your behaviour, your staff will notice and respond.

Good luck.

Simon Ingleson

CEO/Founder @ RosterElf

Magically Simple Staff Rostering