Invest in People Managers

It’s often said that people leave due to bad managers. This could be the same for people managers. And what companies or its employees fail to ask is if these people managers are provided with the tools and skills to do their jobs well? Before anything, let’s define what a people manager is. One of the most obvious role of people managers is that they are leaders for employees that they oversee. They are responsible for both the professional and the personal development of the team they respectively manage.

In the era of Covid-19, the hybrid workplace has presented some challenges for people managers. Moreover, it has given them more responsibilities on top of building trust, developing relationships, coaching and making sure that information and knowledge are being disseminated accordingly. While digital and technology have become a common–and improved tool–in working and communicating with colleagues and teams, it’s safe to say that there is still nothing like human interaction. 

Gallagher Employee Experience Specialty Practice’s yearly report, the State of the Sector 2022, talks about this evolving importance of people managers. There are increased expectations from them–particularly from 81% of the report’s respondents–to manage employees. However, it could be easy to forget that they have needs that are much like the other employees’. 

In fact, the report concludes how a lot of the people managers aren’t being invested in, which is an unfortunate thing as people managers are critical communication channels in any organization. People management is at the heart of any successful business, and below are some ways to set up people managers for success. 

1. Prepare a proper communication training to effectively relay and reinforce corporate messages.

   
   

2. The content that high level management need to build and share should be clear in the first place.

   
   

3. As much as possible, keep the message simple, keep them structured, and get specific about what their priorities should be. People managers are typically bombarded with information, and if there’s a system and structure, they could do their work better.

   
   

4. Invest in tools that would make communication between C-suite and people managers, as well as between people managers and their teams safe and efficient.

   
   

People managers are intrinsically the primary and common communication channel for employees. They are substantial influencers who can drive the teams’ productivity and engagement. They don’t just cascade, but they help shape the narrative, and can overall be keys to promote success and innovation in the organization.

Let's talk about your employees everyday experiences together! Send us an email at [email protected] and we'll schedule a free consultation and/or workshop that will support your employee engagement initiatives!