With the health crisis, self-employed workers and the most precarious have been particularly vulnerable. But within companies themselves, the shock wave has been strong for managers, heckled by their own uncertainties and those of their employees in the face of the economic crisis, as well as by their redoubled efforts. They had to resist, and react.  New working methods have been experimented with. The MEDEF devotes an in-depth analysis to the state of mind of these managers.

The modalities of the study

The study was conducted by MEDEF in partnership with Supermood in February 2021. It is a survey of 855 French executives. It follows a previous study conducted in June 2020 on the particular context of the health crisis, during which 1203 managers agreed to respond. The study is part of the research of the employers' organisation's working group on quality of life at work.

This group was created after the observation made of a lack of data on the morale of managers, even though this has a decisive impact on employee morale and therefore on the performance of companies. To compensate for this shortcoming, a project on the quality of life of the manager was then launched, taking into account seven levers of analysis : relationship and leadership, work climate and environment, feedback and recognition, meaning and attributes, autonomy and influence, talents and learning, profitability and remuneration.

Executive morale at half-mast, especially among women and small businesses

Bad news, according to the Medef study, since June 2020 the morale of managers has fallen by 0.3 points. It stands at 3.6/5. Morale is at half-mast, just like what all French people have been through, but in this specific case, this decline has been analysed and correlated with a number of factors, and in particular the deterioration in the balance of life times. Managers admit that they are not able to take enough time for themselves outside the company. The vast majority of employees, on the other hand, have experienced teleworking, with its advantages and disadvantages on their private lives.

But the managers had to hold the helm, and be physically present most of the time in their company. Like their employees, stress and anxiety are the order of the day and impact the quality of their sleep and their ability to act.

The study also reveals strong disparities depending on the size of the company and the sector of activity questioned. Managers of VSEs (less than twenty employees) or 20 to 49 employees are the most affected by this drop in morale. Above 50 employees, there is practically no difference with the previous study dating from June 2020 ; As for very large companies, they are not impacted.

The most affected sectors are, unsurprisingly, accommodation and catering as well as other business and personal services activities, as well as information and communication (-0.5);  The trade, construction and real estate sectors also experienced a decline (0.3.)

This deterioration in morale does not affect any age group in particular, but the crisis tends to exacerbate the impact of gender : a phenomenon present in all socio-professional categories, since this drop in morale is 3.3 for women compared to 3.7 for men. Women have been more affected by the lockdown than men, both for their life balance and for their career progression, as the Economic, Social and Environmental Council warned in the spring of 2021.

The relationship with the teams, a positive element in the crisis

On the positive side , the relationship with the teams mitigates the drop in morale of managers, since they say they feel close to their employees (4/5), regardless of the size of the organization. They show a certain self-confidence to invest their energy in the revival of the company. This confidence is particularly present among managers at the head of companies with more than 100 employees. The larger the company, the less isolated the managers feel in the face of sharing their responsibilities. Communication between them is also considered to remain effective.

The company's health indicators are rather positive : managers say they ensure sufficient continuity of their activity (3.7/5) even with an uncertain financial situation (2.7/5). The latter is also considered stable, with the notable exception of managers in the accommodation and restaurant sector.

Responsiveness and restructuring

The managers of small businesses say that they have or want to request psychological support systems, which demonstrates an awareness of the deterioration of their morale and their life balance, and illustrates their ability to react.

Several regional Medef have also experimented with these schemes, in Lille as well as in the Opal Coast, where psychological support units for managers have been set up. In addition, the managers of very large companies say they have set up support for their employees, particularly in companies with more than 1000 employees (70%). This is undoubtedly one of the explanations for the maintenance of good performances. In companies with fewer than 20 employees, only 6% of managers say they have been able to do so.

Finally, one of the virtuous consequences of the health crisis is also that the smallest companies have been pushed to review their strategic orientations (69%). Large companies, on the other hand, have made more changes to their internal operations (96%). Depending on the size of the companies,  greater agility of the teams was necessary or it was the strategy that had to be adapted.

Optimistic outlook for the post-crisis period : future recruitment

This is one of the main reasons for hope that emerges from this study : 70% of managers say on average that they will succeed in recruiting in the coming months. This is particularly true of managers of very large companies (96% for organizations with more than 1000 employees). With a caveat, since the smallest companies and those in the information and communication or service sectors do not share this horizon.

Even within organizations, managers do not think, at the end of this crisis, that the loyalty of their employees has been altered, especially for companies with 300 to 900 employees. The perception of their loyalty therefore remains a positive element, but from the point of view of employees, according to another barometer carried out by Supermood, the significant drop in their morale could change the situation. In January 2021, the share of employees claiming to be in good spirits was 51%, it fell to 33% in February 2021, with the prospect of the third wave.

This element remains a crucial point to watch for managers in the post-crisis period, as it can have an impact on both the individual performance of employees and the search for new job opportunities to broaden their horizons. Employees are waiting for answers from their organization. The role of managers will therefore be essential in the post-crisis period to maintain employee loyalty and to know how to restore their confidence.