The private sector has been harder hit by redundancies and cutbacks with 65 per cent reporting compulsory redundancies in the last year compared with 22 per cent in the public sector. Yet it is managers in the public sector who are faring worse when it comes to pessimism and stress, according to new research from Roffey Park, one of the UK's leading executive education and research institutes.

The Management Agenda 2010 report – an annual survey of over 900 managers – presents a comprehensive, and critical, view of how public sector managers are coping in today’s environment in comparison to their private sector counterparts. Managers in the public sector are more likely to experience conflict and stress, and only half rate their overall well-being at work as good or very good, compared to a figure of 62 percent for private sector managers.

Similarly, public sector managers are much more negative about leadership in their own organisations, with not even half (46 percent) describing the reputation of their senior board as positive or very positive, compared to 63 percent of private sector managers.

The report also throws into sharp focus the extent to which the external political environment is affecting public sector managers. More than seven in 10 (73 percent) public sector respondents noted this as one of the biggest issues they face now, compared to 26 percent in the private sector. This is no doubt compounded by the fact that the biggest challenge faced by public sector managers is managing change (76 percent compared with 53% in the private sector). By comparison, the economic climate was the leading 'biggest issue' for private sector managers, with more than eight in 10 (82 percent) citing it, compared to a figure of 72 percent for public sector managers.

Jo Hennessy, Director of Research at Roffey Park, says:  “Given that more public than private sector managers complain of poor communication, bureaucracy, lack of clarity over their role and lack of control or support at work, it seems sensible that the public sector is looking to developing their leaders as their number one strategy this year. In doing so, they will have to support this with wider organisational changes to ensure lasting transfer of learning into the workplace”.

Among the other key findings relating to the public sector in this year's report:

• Nearly 8 in 10 (79 percent) public sector managers said they experience stress at work, compared to 7 in 10 private sector managers. Similarly, just under half (47 percent) of those in the public sector said conflict was common in their organisation, with an additional 4 percent describing it as 'rife.' By comparison 36 percent of private sector managers said it was common, and 2 percent 'rife.'
• While two-thirds (67 percent) of private sector managers feel their leaders put the organisation's espoused values into practice, barely half (53 percent) of public sector managers say the same. A staggering 91 percent of public sector managers say their own managers fail to 'walk the talk,' compared to 79 percent of those in the private sector. 
• Just over half (51 percent) of public sector managers said underperformance was tackled 'not at all well,' whereas the figure for the private sector was 34 percent.  While 64 percent of private sector managers described themselves as 'very confident' about tackling underperformance, the figure for public sector managers was 49 percent.
• When asked about strategies organisations are adopting for the future, the most commonly cited by public sector managers was leadership development at 62 percent, compared to a figure of 45 percent for private sector managers.

Management Agenda is published annually in January and recognised as one of the definitive guides to the state of management in the UK. This year's report, which is published on 19 January 2010, is based on the responses of more than 900 managers from the private and public sectors who were surveyed about the issues and challenges they face in the workplace. Topics covered include coping with the current economic climate, organisational change, engagement, well-being, performance and people management, leadership and Corporate Responsibility. 

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For further information, contact Fiona Leslie, Emma Price or Margaret Kubicek: fiona@communicationsmanagement.co.uk or emma@communicationsmanagement.co.uk  or margaret@communicationsmanagement.co.uk  / 01727 850 761

Roffey Park: with 60 years experience, Roffey Park is one of the UK’s longest established executive education and research providers. From its inception in 1946, Roffey Park’s ethos has remained consistent: to work with organisations and their people to create a more enlightened way of working.  Its commitment to do so, plus its research and work in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, has enabled Roffey Park to be recognised as a leading authority in its areas of specialism: leadership, people management, personal effectiveness, human resources and organisational development. The institute’s services include bespoke development training and consultancy, courses and qualification programmes for individuals and a wide range of conferences and seminars.