They witness
- Christophe Nguyen, occupational psychologist and director of Empreinte Humaine
- Denis Monneuse, sociologist, director of the Poil à scratch cabinet and author of “Le silence des cadres” (Vuibert)
- Bruno Mettling, founder of the topics firm and former HR Director of Orange
- Éric Albert, psychiatrist and director of the Uside cabinet
The executives are silent out of loyalty
“Half of the employees pretend to be happy at work when they are not at all. And it is even more obvious among executives and managers ”, observe Christophe Nguyen, work psychologist and director of the firm Empreinte Humaine, who had already sounded the alarm during the first confinement on the psychological distress of certain managers.
Talking about their discomfort would have repercussions on the motivation of their team so they prefer to be silent.
Christophe Nguyen, occupational psychologist–
Why would executives hide their ill-being at work more than other employees? “They feel they have to be strong, to have an attitude of support, resistance and availability for their teams. They know they should talk about their discomfort but there is an increased self-demand in this population. Talking about their discomfort would have repercussions on the motivation of their team so they prefer to keep quiet ”, he adds.
The executives are silent for lack of real allies internally
The executives mostly have very individualistic careers.
Denis Monneuse, sociologist–
Isolated the executives? “At their request but also constrained by the management delighted to be able to do it on a case-by-case basis, the majority of executives have very individualistic careers,” analysis Denis Monneuse, sociologist, director of the Poil à scratch cabinet and author of the survey The silence of the executives (250 pages published by Vuibert in 2014). Solidarity or mutual aid between executives is rare according to this sociologist : “With them, the sense of the collective is much less developed than among employees and workers. They know they will find little support ”.
When we talk about ourselves, we always wonder about the use that people will make of it
Éric Albert, psychiatrist–
- Little support from their employees whom they wish to protect and in whose eyes they represent the company.
- Little support also from their N + 1 when the latter manages the old fashioned way: “Their manager is the one who chose them. So to share your ill-being with your N + 1 would be to run the risk of falling in her esteem “, Explain Bruno Mettling, founder of the topics firm and former HRD of Orange.
- Little support expected (or presumed) from unions reputed to be more inclined to mobilize for populations of employees or workers.
- Little support sought from occupational medicine or HRDs. “It varies according to the internal atmosphere but in a business game, you always play something that reflects your image. So when we talk about ourselves, we always wonder about the use that people will make of it ”, precise Eric Albert, psychiatrist and director of Uside., specialist in business behavior.
What role for HR?
“There is a certain distrust of HRDs. The executives wonder if their comments in connection with their ill-being could not be held against them afterwards ”, arguments Christophe Nguyen.
“The position of HRDs is ambivalent. They must both show empathy and understanding for executives who require some listening. And at the same time, make sure that this type of individual problem does not negatively impact the team. With this information in mind, a HR Director can then push the frame to the start or downgrade it “, valued Denis Monneuse. For the author of the book The discomfort of executives, “Freedom of expression was already limited in companies. But with the crisis, it is worse. If we complain, we risk being frowned upon and directed towards the door “.
Peer-assistance, a solution against the isolation of executives?
Some, like Bruno Mettling or Christophe Nguyen, plead for the development of “peer-help” within companies. This funny word simply designates groups of exchanges between peers. Concerned by common situations and difficulties, they meet regularly to discuss and help each other.
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Executives are silent for fear of downgrading
Whether they are experts or managers, executives fear appearing incompetent if they share their difficulties and / or discomfort in their position. And the former HRD Bruno Mettling to point out the misdeeds of this gradual eviction which greatly affects seniors: “An expert, formerly justly protected by his expertise, can today be weakened by ever shorter innovation cycles which require ever faster adaptation efforts. Likewise, new working methods, particularly agile ones, are disrupting the way he works. Where he worked alone, he now has to deal with the sales and marketing teams… it’s a real loss of benchmarks. For him, evoking his discomfort amounts to immediately recognizing a gap between his skills and the expectations of his function. By speaking, he therefore exposes himself to deskilling ”, details Bruno Mettling.
For fear of being hit by a PES, executives redouble their efforts to maintain a positive image and show their involvement.
Denis Monneuse,–
The executives are silent for economic reasons
Until before the crisis, there was official talk of full employment among executives. But in the field, how many, especially seniors, struggle to find a job? How many suffer from long-term unemployment?
Executives’ fears about their work increase
- Almost a quarter of executives say they are worried about job security (+ 5 points in December 2020 vs September 2020) and a large majority of current executives (63%) consider that it would be difficult to find an equivalent job in the event of dismissal. This fear of dismissal increases in particular among the youngest (28% vs 16%) and among the elderly (25% vs 19%). Source: APEC barometer of executive recruitment and mobility intentions – 1st quarter 2021.
- 1 in 3 executives fear losing their job, being downgraded or placarded. Source: Kantar-CFDT barometer – January 27, 2021.
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“The fear of unemployment and with it the loss of purchasing power and the loss of a certain social status, does not encourage managers to express their discomfort”, supports Denis Monneuse. Even if they have the impression of being taxed more fiscally and socially, the executives still prefer to be silent rather than to switch to a more or less long job search.
This discomfort of executives, their silence sometimes gives rise to horrible news items. What Christophe Nguyen qualified for “Passage to the hetero aggressive act”. So who aims at others. Or “Auto aggressive like suicides”. More commonly, this unfortunately leads executives to addictions, depression and burnout. Or when work, in times of crisis, always makes you sicker.
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