New research from Call of the Wild, in partnership with OnePoll, is urging HR leaders to rethink leadership development strategies, as stark differences emerge in what employees expect from leaders across sectors.
Surveying 2,000 UK employees, the study reveals that while fairness, communication and work-life balance are consistent priorities, leadership expectations diverge significantly between Technology, Public Sector, and Education environments.
For HR professionals, the implications are clear: standardised leadership models may be actively undermining engagement.
Fairness remains the baseline expectation across all sectors. However, what sits alongside it varies:
- Technology employees prioritise autonomy, development and progression
- Public sector workers value empathy and emotional intelligence
- Education professionals emphasise communication and relational leadership
Work-life balance ranks as the top motivator across the board, yet career progression and skills development show major disparities, highlighting the need for tailored Employer Value Proposition and leadership frameworks.
Hybrid working preferences also differ widely, reinforcing the need for structured, transparent policies rather than blanket flexibility approaches.
Importantly, the research challenges assumptions around digital transformation. While digital communication is widely accepted, face-to-face interaction remains the most effective leadership tool across all sectors.
The findings also point to a critical leadership capability gap: confidence in leaders’ ability to manage multi-generational workforces is significantly lower in public sector and education settings.
Lynda Campbell, Transformational Leader and Culture Specialist at Call of the Wild, said:
“For HR leaders, this research highlights a fundamental shift. Leadership can no longer be treated as a single competency framework applied across the organisation.
Different environments demand different leadership behaviours. If organisations want to improve engagement, retention and performance, they must equip leaders to adapt, emotionally, practically and culturally, to the needs of their people.
This is where experiential development becomes critical, helping leaders build the awareness and flexibility required in real-world situations.”
Catrefi Cymru Cooperative, one of Wales’ largest providers of support for people with learning disabilities, says adopting a more flexible and trust-based hybrid working model has strengthened recruitment, retention and organisational culture.
The organisation introduced a hybrid working framework for central services teams focused on outputs rather than time-based monitoring, supported through leadership development with Call of the Wild.
Nia Coates, Assistant Director of People at Catrefi Cymru Cooperative, said:
“Hybrid working has made us more attractive as an employer because we can genuinely say we trust people to work in a way that suits both them and the organisation.
“It’s helped us create a culture that reflects the values we want people to experience throughout the organisation.”
The organisation says the approach has helped employees better balance work with caring responsibilities, health needs and family life, while also improving engagement and management capability.
Nia added: “We’ve had to help managers build confidence in leading differently, having conversations about outcomes rather than monitoring time. But we’ve seen the benefits. It’s helped us become more flexible, more responsive and more people focused as an organisation.”
