Exclusive: As workplace confidence in bosses tumbles, external consultants thrive
In a time of tremendous ambiguity, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced business leaders to act urgently in moments of crisis as they have to make decisions in a heartbeat since circumstances and regulation keep on changing.
Yet, with new data from the London Business School estimating that Covid-19 has left around 16m jobs in a precarious position, it is far from certain that business leaders’ attempts to weather the pandemic crisis and its aftermath will be successful in the end.
This uncertainty around the security and future of our workplace has left 51 per cent of employees anxious and apprehensive about the soon-coming return to work period, according to new research from the Future Strategy Club, shared with City PM today.
As such, many are now beginning to question whether their internal decision-makers have the business know-how to not just survive the pandemic onslaught, but also to thrive in a post-pandemic ecosystem.
A third of British workers feel their workplace culture has now become stagnant and internal management needs the assistance of external support for businesses progression.
External consultants
UK workforces sentiment towards in-house leadership is changing rapidly, with Covid-19 completely altering our perception of what management should now look like, the researchers found.
In fact, 42 per cent of the UK workforce prefer advice and guidance from outside-in leaders over internal management, the FSC found.
This notion is most prominent amongst young professionals, with over half of 25-34-year-olds agreeing that they are more likely to enact change introduced by external consultants and outside experts, rather than in-house leaders.
“Businesses and business leaders have never before managed such a significant event as Covid-19. And the pandemic has driven a range of unexpected and unbelievable changes in every aspect of a business,” explained Justin Small, the CEO and founder of Future Strategy Club.
In fact, 33 per cent of businesses owners and employees in the UK agree that to thrive post-pandemic, significant changes within the workplace must be made with the advice and guidance of outside expertise.
“These new and ever-changing circumstances demonstrate that today’s business world is more unpredictable and uncertain than it ever has been before. This means for many businesses that re-designing their leadership models is essential, with the pandemic completely re-defining the workplace,” Small concluded.