Women bosses get higher marks

When it comes to work/life balance and job recognition, Spanish workers say they prefer female bosses.

Spanish employees say they prefer to have women as bosses because they are more open to conciliation concerns and express greater interest in their work.

IESE and the corporate services company Edenred surveyed 1,200 workers. They found that among those under the age of 35, their level of satisfaction varies little regardless of whether the boss is a man or woman. But employees over 35 are more satisfied if the boss is a woman, and this is even more pronounced for those over 50.

Bosses with children also get higher marks from subordinates who also have kids, especially if the boss is a woman. In general, male bosses without children are the least highly regarded.

Male employees say they hardly detect any difference between male and female bosses when it comes to bosses acknowledging their work. But female employees give higher marks to female bosses for receiving recognition of a job well done.

Company loyalty

Conciliation and motivation are important factors that determine levels of employee commitment and retention. Those most satisfied with their work/life balance are those who want to continue with their company.

The nature of workers? motivation also affects their level of satisfaction. Employees with altruistic motives tend to be the most pleased with their jobs, followed by those who take an active interest in learning and positively embrace new challenges. The least satisfied employees are those whose main motivation is to make money.

Another element is company benefits: 91 percent of employees whose companies provide day care recommend their companies as good places to work. Other perks viewed favorably by employees are transport aid (75 percent), medical insurance (73 percent) and a subsidized meal plan (71 percent).

Job position influences satisfaction

Senior executives are most satisfied with their jobs overall, followed by executives or engineers and middle managers. People who work in services and sales departments are less satisfied with their jobs.

But when it comes to work/life balance, people who work in services and sales are, along with senior executives, those least satisfied with their situation, whereas 71 percent of administrative workers are satisfied or very satisfied with their work/life balance.

Competence

Employees were asked to assess the skills and competence of their bosses. If their boss is of the opposite sex, employees tend to rate them lower. What?s more, middle-aged subordinates are the most critical of their bosses.

Motivation also influences this assessment: People who view their jobs primarily as a means to make money tend to have a much worse opinion of their bosses.