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The ideal boss of the future: 50 and female
More tech use demands more soft skills, claims survey

By Steve Ranger

Published: Wednesday 23 August 2006

Women aged over 50 will make ideal bosses in the office of the future, as they possess the 'soft' skills that will be needed to manage teams working flexibly and remotely.

Such managers are more likely to recognise the benefits of flexible working and are more trusting that their workers will get on with the job when working remotely, according to research sponsored by BT.

The survey of 3,000 working adults in the UK found men are 50 per cent more likely than women to be suspicious of colleagues who work flexibly.

While it's likely younger managers (aged 18 to 29) are the most tech-savvy, the study found they are the most suspicious bosses when it comes to flexible working. Suspicion about remote working seems to decline with age, with the over-50s the least worried about it.

Trust was seen as the single most important skill for any employer when dealing with a remote workforce - over and above than the ability to communicate and good organisation.

BT said the survey showed the importance of softer people management skills, with women over 50 as the ideal management role model.

BT futurologist Ian Pearson said women will become increasingly more important in businesses of the future as social and emotional skills "normally associated with women" become more important.

He said: "The more advanced technology gets, the more it forces us to appreciate human skills."