Let Workers Evaluate Their Managers

What happens when workers get a say in evaluating their managers? At one Chinese carmaker, the results speak for themselves: happier teams, better leadership, and a noticeable boost in productivity — without a single downside.

Worker feedback did not just lift morale — it cut turnover by half and made teams run more effectively, a big result in an industry like manufacturing where high turnover is a persistent challenge for companies.

Over eight months, workers on production lines at the Chinese automaker evaluated their managers on key qualities like fairness, empathy, adaptability, and openness to suggestions.

For the first six months, these evaluations directly impacted managers’ monthly performance scores, which influenced their bonuses, annual pay raises, and chances for promotion. In the final two months, the feedback continued, but it no longer affected scores or financial rewards.

The impact, however, lingered. Managers in teams receiving feedback changed their behavior: They encouraged workers more and criticized them less. The workers also performed better, with their earnings increasing.

The numbers tell the story. Workers in teams that evaluated their managers were 6.2 percentage points less likely to quit compared to those in the control group, according to the study. This translates into a 50% reduction in turnover, a big result given the high turnover rates often found in developing economies.

While individual worker productivity did not change much, team-level productivity — measured through key performance indicators — increased by 2.3%.

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