When you’re in a leadership position, a lot of what you say and do can leave a lasting impression on others—particularly those who report to you.
Your ability to influence others gives you a chance to build a productive, engaged, and happy team. But this is easier said than done.
To support your growth as a leader, or help you become one, here are 7 key leadership statistics that we found by surveying employees:
1. 87% consider access to health care to be a critical part of any good job. (Source: 1,000 + individuals on SurveyMonkey Audience)
This one’s a no-brainer, right?
Affordable health care falls neatly into the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and for good reason: if you can’t receive proper medical care, you can’t maintain a meaningful and productive lifestyle.
At SurveyMonkey, we’re proud that we also offer health care to our contractors. We encourage your organization to do the same if it isn’t already.
2. 65% see opportunities for advancement as another essential component of a good job. (Source: 1,000 + individuals on SurveyMonkey Audience)
Do you know where each of your colleagues want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
If you haven’t asked, you aren’t doing your job as a leader.
Learn about your direct reports’ career aspirations; provide each of them with the feedback and resources they need to continue learning; and offer a personalized and realistic career ladder that they can strive to move up on.
3. 53% go to work even when they feel like they could benefit from taking a mental health day. (Source: 2,000+ respondents from SurveyMonkey Audience)
No one is immune to mental health challenges. In fact, we’ve found that issues related to mental health negatively impact more than a quarter of employees.
So take stock of how each member of your team feels over time, and help them normalize the idea of taking time off to improve their mental well being. It’s in everyone’s best interest.
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4. 43% say that feeling appreciated makes them more confident. (Source: 563 respondents from SurveyMonkey Audience)
The little things, like offering a sincere “Good job!” does a whole lot to influence your colleague’s emotions.
So take the time to appreciate each member of your team consistently and in a variety of ways. It can only help.
5. 44% feel that receiving thoughtful gifts reaffirms the value of their work. (Source: 1000+ respondents from SurveyMonkey Audience)
That’s not to say that if you give your direct report a whoopie cushion, they’ll sense their impending layoff; or that if you reward them a brand new Ferrari, they’ll believe a big promotion is right around the corner.
But, to a certain extent, this leadership statistic shows that gifts can play a role in boosting employee morale and confidence.
6. 67% prefer to work for a company whose mission they believe in than one that pays them a lot. (Source: 4,000+ respondents from SurveyMonkey/Ladders study)
Is your organization actually helping people?
As a leader, it’s your job to answer this question concisely and clearly so that you can help each member of your team understand and believe in the overall mission.
And now, it’s time for the last of our leadership statistics: (drumroll please....)
7. 55% of millennial employees rarely use all their allotted vacation time. (Source: 1,000+ respondents from SurveyMonkey Audience)
Since millennials already make up the largest share of employees in the workforce, this stat should immediately raise a red flag.
You probably know that vacations can improve employees’ productivity. But you might not know that taking time off can also benefit employees’ health. For example, according to the Framington Heart Study, men who don’t take vacation for several years are 30% more likely to suffer a heart attack than men who regularly take time off.
In short: tell your direct reports to take a hike (literally)!
How does your team feel?
Understand and improve employee engagement with SurveyMonkey Engage.
Do these 7 leadership statistics include all the insight you need to unlock your full potential as a manager? No. But each offers invaluable takeaways, that if taken to heart can drastically improve your ability to guide your team.
