If your public relations boss is terrible, they don’t know how to manage

The PR industry is dominated by women, over two-thirds of workers are female, so the chances are you have, or have had, a woman as a boss. Is this better or worse than having a man telling you what to do?

All those interviewed for this feature claim that they have no preference for male or female superiors, they just want to be managed by someone who is good at their job. However, many studies have indicated that, generally, male bosses are more popular in workplaces. For example, according to a study by onepoll.com last summer, 63 per cent of women prefer working for male bosses, while
only 37 per cent prefer women. Of the 2,000 women interviewed, who were in full or part-time employment, nearly two thirds admitted to preferring male bosses because “they are better managers and less prone to moods”.

It is galling for women, who have worked hard to attain senior positions, to find that there are still prejudices against female managers. Especially as PR, as other professions, has a smaller percentage of women in senior positions than in junior positions (see our feature on the gender pay gap).

It is therefore reassuring to find that those who spoke to PRmoment appreciate their female bosses, even if they have had poor women communications managers in the past.

Lois McCloud, account manager at PR agency Cirkle has only worked for female bosses, so she cannot compare male with female. But she can appreciate what makes a good manager, and what doesn’t: “At a previous agency, my female boss was domineering, uninspiring and largely erratic, whereas at my current agency, my boss is engaging, collaborative and has infectious enthusiasm. A great boss should be a mentor, a team player and an excellent communicator and I would hope those traits are equally shared between the genders. No need for sexism here, it’s just a question of management style.”

One PRO who can contrast women and men’s managing styles, is Clare English, business development director at PR agency Speed Communications. For nine of the ten years spent working within PR agencies, English only worked for, and alongside, women. This changed in March last year with the formation of Speed, run by managing directors Steve Earl and Stephen Waddington. English says that before reporting in to male bosses, she wouldn't have anticipated a different working style, but although she has no preference for either male or female bosses, she has noticed differences: “I definitely think that there are some stereotypical nuances that are quite pronounced – and also some that are quite unfounded.

The first of the myths, in my mind, is that 'men are inferior communicators', although I take on board the fact that the PR industry might present an obvious exception to this consensus.“ English adds that she has noticed that men communicate in a more direct and forthright style, and from her experience, this can serve as a benefit in the workplace as it helps her to be clearer about objectives and desired outcomes from the outset. As for typical female management styles, English says, “I've read in the past that 'detail' is more important to women, and I would say that this is true and that female bosses tend to want to know more about the peripheral intricacies of a job, whereas male bosses are more likely to focus only on details that could affect the result. There are obvious benefits and disadvantages to each of these styles.”

This being a magazine about a female-dominated industry, we would be foolish to insult many of our readers by implying that they are poor managers. So we agree wholeheartedly with English‘s view that: ”Ultimately, I've found that a successful working relationship with either a female or a male boss is likely to stem from how approachable and supportive they are, rather than their gender.”

Case studiesPoor management does not respect gender. Two PR communicators (who wish to remain anonymous) describe their nightmare bosses:

This charming man
“When I worked at a large accountancy firm, my male boss, head of communications, was absolutely charming. But his charm did not help me to do my job. I do think men have a tendency to be more hands-off as bosses, but this man took it to extremes. I had no idea what my role was, what work I was supposed to do, and how this fitted in with the rest of the team. I was sure other people in the department were also struggling, but there was such an aggressive ‘male’ attitude throughout the organisation that no one could admit to weakness.

Accountancy firms are macho places of work compared to the communications agencies and magazines I have worked at, and I am happier working in places where people are less driven by ambition and competitiveness, and where there are more women around who let you know what they are thinking.”

Female angst
"My first boss in PR was a woman and was, for want of a better description, completely unhinged. She was very much from the old school and completely clueless about pretty much every aspect of modern PR. This resulted in incredible frustration on her part in failing to understand what was happening at any one point in time. I once watched her throw a chair across the office because she thought an email announcing our annual results hadn't been sent to the Stock Exchange. It had, she just didn't know where to look for it. For any minor perceived failing or transgression, you would get pulled into her office for an hour-long rant, which at no point approximated constructive advice.

She would take intense personal offence at any ideas which might be construed as critical of her own. “Did this taint my opinion of women as bosses? Not at all. Since her, I've worked for bosses of both sexes and I can't really say that I've noticed pronounced differences. Obviously subtle gender differences exist and with that come different approaches in management style and dealing with office politics. But I certainly don't subscribe to the stereotypes of female bosses being hard-nosed bitches or male bosses being bullying macho workaholics. I'm happy to work for either sex, so long as they don't throw chairs around."