Survey conducted on "expectations for superiors and subordinates" and "management views"

MENTAGRAPH Inc. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; a wholly owned consolidated subsidiary of JT) conducted a survey on work styles and organizational awareness targeting 1,800 business people nationwide aged 22 to 65 (900 managers and 900 non-managerial positions). The survey revealed that there are many perception gaps between managers and non-managerial positions.

Why can't they communicate? What are the "barriers" for non-managerial employees when it comes to understanding, acting on, and being motivated to implement company policies?

This survey revealed a gap in perception between managers and non-managerials in terms of "understanding" and "sympathy" for company policies.

■ A 17-point gap in those who understand company policies. Issues with spreading background understanding among non-managerial employees

In response to the question "Do you have a detailed understanding of the company's current policies?", 15.8% of managers and 9.0% of non-managers answered "Yes," while 42.8% of managers and 32.4% of non-managers answered "Yes, somewhat." Combining these two items, the "group that understands company policies" was 58.6% for managers and 41.4% for non-managers, a difference of 17.2 points.

When asked, "Do you act with company policies in mind in your daily work?" 43.8% of managers answered "yes" or "somewhat yes," while only 32.8% of non-managerials answered the same, revealing a difference of 11 points.

■ The number of managers who are able to "put company policies into action" is approximately 1.3 times higher than non-managerials

■ Non-managerial employees' enthusiasm for company policies is stagnant. This may be due to a lack of background explanation and coordination.

Furthermore, in response to the question, "Are you feeling positive about realizing the company's policies?", the results showed a difference of 11.3 points, with 39.3% of managers and 28.0% of non-managerials responding.

Non-managerial employees who want to learn more, and managers who want to keep an eye on their superiors: A clear mismatch in expectations of superiors and management views

This time, we surveyed managers and non-managerial employees about their perceptions of "what superiors should do (managers)" and "what they expect from their superiors (non-managerial employees)." The results of the survey revealed that there are differences in perceptions between managers and non-managerial employees regarding "the roles expected of each other" and "the ideal way of management."

■Non-managerial employees clearly want more "direct support." There is also a 12-point difference in "expectations" from superiors.

The percentage of people who think that "supervisors should explain things they don't understand in advance" is 34.9% for managers and 46.9% for non-managerials, a difference of 12 points.

Additionally, when it comes to the item "supervisors should teach employees step by step," 31.5% of managers and 40.3% of non-managerials agreed, meaning that the number of non-managerials who agreed is 8.8 points higher than managers, indicating a tendency for non-managerials to desire more "direct support."

Furthermore, 48.1% of managers and 55.7% of non-managerial employees believe that their superiors should assign them work that suits them. This shows that nearly 60% of non-managerial employees expect "personalized consideration."

■ Does bosses' "support" not resonate with subordinates? Gaps in the level of emphasis on "goal setting" and "progress management" revealed

When it comes to managing their subordinates, managers place importance on "goal setting" (47.3%) and "progress management" (48.1%), while non-managerial employees only listed "goal setting" (31.7%) and "progress management" (33.3%) as areas they would like their superiors to emphasize. These results show that there is a large gap between the "supportive" management that managers place importance on, such as "goal setting" and "progress management," and the level of importance that non-managerial employees expect from their superiors.
Furthermore, when non-managerial employees were asked whether they admire their superiors, only around 13% answered yes.

This survey revealed that there is a gap in awareness between managers and non-managerial employees in terms of "understanding and empathy for company policies" and "what is expected of management."
Even if both superiors and subordinates act with what they believe to be "good intentions," differences in fundamental values and expectations can lead to misunderstandings and stress in the workplace.
Companies can create a better management environment by making these awareness gaps visible and creating opportunities for superiors and subordinates to align their expectations.

Survey Method: Online Survey
Survey Period: December 3–17, 2024
Analysis Period: July 1–31, 2025
Survey Participants: 1,800 business people aged 22–65 (900 managers and 900 non-managerials)

About MENTAGRAPH Inc.

MENTAGRAPH Inc. is a B2B company that provides the "Mental Battery Service," which visualizes the minds of workers, promotes appropriate breaks throughout the workplace, and supports optimal management. Born out of Japan Tobacco's (JT) corporate R&D organization, "D-LAB," the company promotes "mental care reform" by visualizing stress and fatigue, with a focus on "mental richness."

Its flagship product is the "Mental Battery" service, which consists of a wearable sensor called "mentoring," an app that recommends breaks, and a dashboard that manages the stress levels of the entire organization. This quantifies employee fatigue and stress in real time and visualizes appropriate break timing. Managers and HR can use this for organizational care.

It achieves "continuous and highly accurate measurement" that conventional stress checks could not achieve, leading to improved employee satisfaction, work efficiency, and team performance. We aim to create a society where "taking breaks" is a natural part of corporate culture.

Media Inquiries

Mentagraph PR Office (Platinum Inc.) Contacts: Hirotani, Ando, Kanie
Tel: 03-5572-6072 / Fax: 03-5572-6075 / Email: mentagraph_pr@vectorinc.co.jp

Only 13% of business people admire their bosses

Survey conducted on "expectations for superiors and subordinates" and "perspectives on management"

The gap in awareness between non-managerial employees who want to learn more and managers who want to keep an eye on their employees is clear