Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Non-verbal communication
How to build trust
March/April 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Management
  • Leadership and management
  • Leadership
Stress
News

Half of UK workers copy leadership traits when stressed, research finds

Open-access content Tuesday 26th September 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

It surveyed more than 2,000 full- and part-time workers in the UK and found that 50% of people said they emulated the leadership qualities of those around them when faced with unfamiliar or challenging professional situations (bit.ly/2xxENnv).

Almost one-third (32%) said they mirrored the behaviours of those they worked with when something went wrong at work.

Despite the prevalence of workers learning by example from their co-workers (74% of respondents admitted they were influenced by the teams they worked with every day), the research found that most employees (58%) would prefer more formal training and development to learn new skills.

The findings suggest that people are not affected by traditional hierarchies when it comes to whom they imitate.

Almost half of those surveyed revealed they replicated behaviours from people across their organisation regardless of age, while a similar number (46%) said they copied behaviours from people of all levels of seniority.

Three quarters (74%) of people who copied their colleagues' humour believed it would help build good working relationships, while 29% of those who mirrored delegation and organisation skills hoped it would result in a promotion or a pay rise.

John Yates, group director at ILM, said of the findings: "People are looking to their colleagues to demonstrate how they work effectively, particularly when it comes to facing up to challenges in the workplace. Whilst it's inspiring to see that professionals are motivated by those around them, it can also be dangerous, as people indiscriminately adopt the behaviours of others regardless of experience or expertise.

"When properly managed, emulation can be a highly valuable way for people to learn. However, organisations should not rely on contagion to upskill employees; with bad habits as likely to spread as good, it is vital that employees at every level of an organisation understand, develop and role model positive leadership skills."

The survey, which comprised more than 30 questions, was carried out in June by research consultant Censuswide.

An ILM spokesperson told IOSH Magazine that participants were asked to describe why they had copied certain capabilities from colleagues, explain when they were more likely to rely on a particular behaviour used by another worker, and list who in the workplace had the greatest influence on the way they worked.

You may also be interested in...

©Sean824

 Government support package aims to cut sickness absence

Thursday 14th September 2017
The new advice, developed jointly by Public Health England (PHE) and health and wellbeing services provider Healthy Working Futures (formerly the Fit For Work Team), aims to help employers promote good health. The guidance includes information on carrying out a workplace health needs assessment (HNA) – a series of questions that staff answer anonymously. Businesses can use the findings to tailor activities to improve health and wellbeing.
Open-access content

 HSE to pilot stress management tools, IOSH conference hears

Monday 9th October 2017
Peter Brown, head of the HSE’s health and work programme, told IOSH’s National Safety and Health Conference that the pilots would evaluate the effectiveness of the standards, which were first published in 2004, in preventing and managing work-related stress in education, health and the prison service. The HSE plans to use the findings to develop sector-specific guidance that offers employers “tested” solutions to be rolled out across these sectors. The guidance will consider issues such as 24/7 connectivity, organisational justice and new technology.
Open-access content

 Supportive managers are crucial to return after stress and depression, says report

Thursday 12th October 2017
The new research recommends improving managers' and supervisors’ knowledge and skills to support workers with mental health problems. The study advises improved support both before and after employees go on sick leave.
Open-access content
Image credit: iStockphoto/LifeJourneys

 TUC charter to protect ill workers now covers half a million

Thursday 7th September 2017
The voluntary charter is part of a wider TUC campaign which calls for a terminal illness to be viewed as a “protected characteristic”. Charter signatories agree that terminally ill employees enter a “protected period” in which they cannot be dismissed because of their condition.Although the UK’s 2010 Equality Act does offer some protection for terminally ill employees, employers can dismiss them if they fail a capability assessment after “reasonable adjustments” have been made to their work arrangements, resulting in loss of income and loss of death in-service payments.
Open-access content

 First global OSH campaign focuses on zero harm

Monday 4th September 2017
The initiative is supported by the World Health Organization, the US safety regulator OSHA and the International Association of Labour Inspection.ISSA, which represents social security institutions, government departments and agencies in more than 160 countries, is encouraging organisations to pledge to follow seven “golden rules”, including controlling risks, defining targets and developing programmes to meet them, improving worker competence and ensuring work equipment is safe.
Open-access content

 A watching brief

Tuesday 17th October 2017
The Grenfell Tower fire and the latest terror attacks in London, Manchester and Barcelona have focused media and public attention on how people react to traumatic incidents. They have also led to increased scrutiny of how organisations and society can best protect those affected from long-term psychological damage.
Open-access content

Latest from News

web-morrison-shutterstock_1205515750.png

  Morrisons’ £3.5m fine is ‘a warning to all employers’, says council

Friday 24th March 2023
Morrisons supermarket has been fined £3.5 million for failing to ensure the health and safety of an epileptic employee who died after falling from a shop stairway.
Open-access content
jfc

 IOSH launches new five-year strategy

Tuesday 21st March 2023
IOSH launches its new five-year strategy this spring. It will build and act on the reshaped purpose and ambition gained during WORK 2022, which ran from 2017 to 2022.
Open-access content
web_Cranes-on-construction-site_credit_iStock-1352083784.jpg

 Risk & Compliance software provider collaborates with HSE and Costain to improve risk management on worksites

Friday 17th March 2023
A Belfast-based Risk & Compliance software provider has been collaborating with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and construction giant Costain as part of an ongoing project to unlock artificial intelligence’s (AI) potential in improving the management of risks on worksites.
Open-access content

Latest from Stress

gl

 The impact of burnout

Thursday 2nd March 2023
Burnout, moral injury and moral distress are bubbling up in the workplace. But how are these concepts connected?
Open-access content
web_FatalityInfoGraphic-2022-A_notext.jpg

 Work-related ill health and non-fatal injuries rise

Work-related ill-health and non-fatal injuries have risen, according to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) latest annual health and safety at work statistics for Great Britain, published last week
Open-access content
web_p74_Talking-shop_CREDIT_Shutterstock_1627140412.png

 Talking shop: fighting fatigue

Wednesday 31st August 2022
A recent study of office workers showed sit/stand regimes reduced fatigue. What else can be done? Four industry leaders share their thoughts.
Open-access content

Latest from Leadership

web_p37_We're-all-ears_NicoleR-4155.png

 Interview: Nicole Rinaldi

Thursday 21st April 2022
Nicole Rinaldi became director of professional services at IOSH in October 2021. Here, she looks back over her first few months and towards an exciting future for the OSH profession.
Open-access content
web_p62_Your-brain-a-users-guide_CREDIT_iStock-1133618377.png

 Ignoring your brain can endanger your safety

Tuesday 15th March 2022
User guide to your brain
Open-access content
web_p66-67_Future-Leader_Jessica-Sales_CREDIT_Stuart-Kinlough_IKON_00026716.png

 From safety champion to future leader

Wednesday 1st September 2021
IOSH Future Leader Jessica Sales explains her journey from lab quality control apprentice to QHSE manager with global commercial real estate services and investment company, CBRE. 
Open-access content
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983

Regional Health and Safety Advisor

Northampton
Up to £53000 per annum + Travel & Excellent Benefits
Reference
5452982

Global Health, Safety and Environment Director

Up to £150000 per annum + Excellent Benefits
Reference
5452980
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ