Some 62% of financial services workers describe their boss as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ in the survey of 1,024 employees for the One4all Rewards Review of UK Management whitepaper.

The strong showing was put down to “good communication skills and thanking employees for their work”. These attributes were among the most highly valued behaviours in financial services bosses, according to the survey.

Financial services managers, such as those in banking and insurance, took the top spot among all types bosses, according to the survey. Nationally, 62% of the financial services workforce were positive about their bosses and just 15% described them as ‘poor.’

Financial services bosses looking to improve further could focus on improving their communication skills, which workers feel are the most important skills for their bosses to possess, with 71% of the vote.

Being grateful and regularly giving thanks and showing appreciation for staff’s efforts are also key for 60% of financial services employees. Showing consideration for financial services workers work-life balance would score “brownie points” with 53%, says One4All.

Alan Smith, managing director at One4all Rewards, said: “Bosses play an essential role in driving our economy forward, but even the most informed and experienced boss would struggle to maintain a successful, growing company without their work being underpinned by happy and hardworking staff who feel motivated and incentivised to perform for the business.

“It’s interesting to see just how popular financial services business leaders are, but there are a small number who are unfortunately not quite winning the loyalty of their staff - indeed, more than 1 in 10 employees (15%) go as far as to say their boss is ‘poor’ - so there is some work to be done by those in certain organisations.

“Everyone wants their efforts to be recognised and valued, and to clearly understand what it is their manager expects of them. Communication is absolutely vital for maintaining positive morale in the workforce.”

Claire Dale, senior tutor at RADA in Business, which coaches business professionals in acting techniques to improve their leadership and communications skills, said: “Having outstanding communication skills is absolutely vital to be an effective leader.

“Financial service professionals wanting to improve their communication skills should pay attention to a number of factors - effective communication is about much more than just what you say. It’s also about how you say it, how you present yourself and how you tailor the message to your audience.

Top 10 behaviours / skills financial service workers rate highest in their bosses:

1. Good communication skills - 71%
2. Regularly thanking staff for their efforts - 60%
3. Showing consideration for workers’ work/life balance - 53%
4. Rewarding staff for their efforts in a tangible way (e.g. buying a round of drinks, giving bonuses, etc.) - 49%
5. Showing a willingness to muck in and help out with work that technically isn’t in their job description when times are tough or busy - 46%
7. Actively trying to develop workers’ skills (e.g. arranging training) - 46%
8. Regularly catching up with all staff about how they are progressing / feeling - 42%
9. Asking about workers’ lives outside of work - 35%
10. Offering flexible working - 31%
11. Providing tangible benefits - e.g. health insurance, gym membership, childcare vouchers, etc. – 28%

One4all Rewards is a company specialising in staff in benefits and rewards.