Can Employees Vote for Their Boss? The Re-Election Rule
Can employees vote for their boss? One Swiss firm tried it in 2013. Here is how the Re-Election Rule worked and one simple step any manager can try this month.
Yes, employees can vote for their boss, and one company did it for years. In 2013 the Swiss HR software firm Haufe-umantis let its top 100 people choose the next leader, and the idea spread through the whole firm. With 65% of Indian firms investing in soft-skill training, this is a leadership lesson worth testing in your own team.
TL;DR- Haufe-umantis, a Swiss HR software company, let its employees elect their leader in 2013.
- About 95% of the voters chose a sales head, who became the leader.
- Later, leaders needed roughly two-thirds of the votes to stay; even the CEO put himself to a vote and scraped through with 66 to 68%.
- The lesson is the Re-Election Rule: leadership is a mandate your team renews, not a chair you get once.
- You do not need software to start. One anonymous question to your team this month is enough.
What happened when a company let employees vote for their boss?
In 2013 the CEO of Haufe-umantis, a Swiss company that builds HR software, felt the firm needed a successor. In most companies the leader decides, sends an email, and the formalities start the next day. This director did something different. He called the top 100 people into one hall and told them they would decide who the next leader would be. About 95% of them voted for one of the company's sales heads, and that person became the leader. I tell this story in my sessions because it flips the usual picture of how leadership begins.
How did the Re-Election Rule actually work?
The people lower down liked the idea so much that they asked to take part too. It became a culture. Every year, whenever someone was to be given a leadership role or a promotion, people were called to vote, and the company built an online voting system for it. As I explain in the video, a leader needed around 66% of the votes to keep the position. The company description adds that the vote was anonymous and that people could even choose "nobody" on the ballot. The CEO put himself up for the same vote and survived with 66 to 68%. Leaders who face a vote every year cannot coast.
| Usual company | Haufe-umantis (Re-Election Rule) |
|---|---|
| Leader picks the successor and sends an email | Top 100 people chose the next leader |
| Position is held until someone higher decides otherwise | Leaders needed about two-thirds of the vote to stay |
| Accountability flows upward only | Accountability flows to the team too |
| CEO is never tested | CEO also faced the vote (66 to 68%) |
Why does a vote change how a leader behaves?
I have seen the opposite in offices again and again. Once a person lands a leadership position, a kind of ego arrives: nobody can remove me from this situation now. They treat people badly, the rest of the team stops backing them, and productivity slides. At this company it went the other way. As I say in the Hindi reel, "लोगों ने खुद अपना लीडर चुना, तो एक अकाउंटेबिलिटी आ गई" (when people chose their own leader, accountability came with it). The team worked for that leader, and the company grew. Our leader versus boss post covers the same shift from the inside.
Would employees voting for managers work in an Indian company?
Honestly, I would not copy the full system on day one. Hierarchy, family-run businesses and plant structures make a formal vote hard, and a badly run vote can become a popularity contest. What does translate is the principle: your authority is renewed by your team through your behaviour, every single quarter. Leaders in Pune, Mumbai or Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar who accept that usually listen more, explain decisions better and delegate with less fear. Our leadership training in Pune works on exactly this habit.
What can a manager try this month without any voting system?
Start small. Once this month, ask your team three anonymous questions: Would you want me to keep leading this project? What is one thing I should stop doing? What is one thing I should do more of? Read the answers alone, thank the team publicly, and act on one point within two weeks. That is a mini re-election. If the answers sting, that is the point. A manager who hears it from the team now will not hear it later from an exit interview.
How do you train managers for this kind of accountability?
Most managers were promoted for technical skill and never taught how to earn trust, take feedback or stay accountable. A good programme gives them real practice: giving and receiving feedback, running one-to-ones, handling a disagreement without pulling rank. If you are an HR or L&D head planning this for a team, look at the signature programmes or write to us through the contact page, and we will build the session around your own people and situations.
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Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · 11+ yrs experience Avinash has trained Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can employees really vote for their boss?
Yes. Haufe-umantis, a Swiss HR software company, did it from 2013, and its leaders had to win an annual anonymous vote to keep their roles.
Which company let employees elect their leader?
Haufe-umantis. In 2013 its top 100 people chose the next leader, and about 95% voted for one of the sales heads. The practice then spread through the company.
Is it practical to let employees vote for managers in India?
A formal vote is hard in many hierarchical firms, but the idea works as regular anonymous feedback. Ask your team whether they want you to keep leading a project and act on the answers.
How can a manager apply the Re-Election Rule without a vote?
Ask three anonymous questions once this month: should I keep leading this, what should I stop, and what should I do more. Read the answers, thank the team and change one thing within two weeks.
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By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .