You see it all over the headlines: Engagement is at an all-time low, there’s a lack of trust in the workplace and employee burnout is increasing. These statistics make you wonder: When did we get so miserable? And will we ever be happy again? These questions have led to a renewed emphasis on research around how our overall mood and outlook impact our work. We’ve reached a tipping point in the workplace, and we need to reverse this downward spiral toward disengagement and negativity.

Focus on Managers and Supervisors

It would be great if there were one hard and steadfast rule to improve engagement, morale and job satisfaction. The truth is there are many things that can be done by different groups within the organization. However, if you need a place to start, look to your managers.

Gallup research reports that managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement. A Danish study from 2013 found that the boss was the cause of workplace depression – not workload. Dale Carnegie^® Digital found that employees’ interactions with and views of their supervisors are the greatest factors in determining which emotions they feel at work.

From this research, several themes emerge around what managers and supervisors can do to promote a positive environment that promotes engagement and productivity:

1. Communicate to promote transparency and purpose. Ensure that managers are sharing where the company is going and how each employee fits into the big picture. It’s hard for employees to commit to a company, its vision and their job if they don’t understand how their day-to-day work impacts the business.
2. Build strong manager-employee relationships. Urge managers to get to know their employees as people – not just employees. This type of relationship requires ongoing and frequent communication. Gallup research shows that engagement is highest when employees communicate with their managers on a daily basis. This communication is not just about work; managers and employees should share what is happening in their lives outside of work to build rapport.
3. Focus on performance conversations, not ratings. Create a culture where managers help employees set goals and prioritize work and provide frequent feedback on progress. It’s not about rating employees or evaluating performance on a scale; it’s about frequent conversations to ensure employees are progressing toward pre-determined goals while developing their skills and talents.
4. Talk about strengths. Monitor language – especially that of managers. Push them to talk about what did work instead of what didn’t, to discuss what they want employees to do instead of what not to do, and to talk about successes instead of issuing warnings not to repeat failures.

These tasks seem doable, but research shows that our managers and supervisors are falling short. In fact, Gallup’s research shows that only one in ten people actually possesses the innate talent to do these things naturally. Another two in ten show some innate talent and ability to develop these skills and abilities. That leaves a staggering seven in ten managers who are not well suited to the job.

Recognize and Promote for Engagement

In order to increase engagement and overall happiness in the workplace, we also need to look at how we promote and hire our managers. We need to start looking for these innate talents and stop looking at performance in an individual contributor role. Research on good leaders says that we should look for empathy and kindness, honesty and humility, and calmness and modesty.

Contrary to this list, we have stereotypes and biases about what makes great managers that often hold us back from recognizing and promoting the best candidates. In short, there is a belief that managers need to be outspoken, charismatic and willing to take risks. Unfortunately, this combination often results in a candidate who is narcissistic rather than humble, kind and modest.

So maybe our starting point is for HR and recruiters to identify the right candidates; leadership development professionals to find those individuals who can, with development, become great managers and leaders; and all employees to understand what a great manager looks like and advocate for colleagues who fit the criteria.

The good news is that good managers and leaders exist who can change our workplaces for the better – we just need to identify and promote them. Maybe then we can all be a lot happier.

Amy Happ is a Performance Consultant with Advantexe Learning Solutions.