The relationship between a manager and those they manage is hugely important. With an estimated seven-and-a-half people leaving a role because of their manager, as opposed to the organisation, it shows the impact a poor connection between these colleagues can have.
Best Companies’ methodology is based on eight factors of workplace engagement. Of these, the driving factors are ‘Leadership’, ‘Personal Growth’, and ‘My Manager’. So along with being well led and having opportunities to develop, the part managers play in an employee’s work life is significant when it comes to engagement overall.
But with the last couple of years significantly changing both where – and how – people work, how has the manager-employee relationship had to adapt to ensure that it is reflective of a new era and how are managers being equipped with the skills they need to adjust?
“It's really important to understand how people like to be communicated with to be effective in a remote management world.”
For Ian Doherty, Head of Member Engagement at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the key element in helping managers at the organisation thrive when leading people remotely is to understand that everyone likes to be communicated with differently.
“When you look at the world of remote working, when it comes to communications style, one rule doesn’t fit all,” he explained.
“We’re all bombarded in front of our laptops by video calls, social media messages, instant chat, emails, texts and so on, and it’s an assault on the senses. So, what I’ve done with my team is identify how people like to be communicated with as individuals. That means when it comes to putting a message across, we know the different ways that people like to receive things. It’s important to understand how people like to be communicated with to be effective in a remote management world.”
Doherty explained that along with this individual approach to the way managers communicate messages with their team members, they have also applied it to the way they arrange meetings, or check-ins.
“In the beginning we had a 09:30am morning team meeting where we all came together. That has evolved, gradually, as we found lots of people didn’t like that approach,” he continued.
“Some people like a quick check-in, first thing in the morning, whereas others don’t need that at all and prefer to reach out if they need something. We’ve really adapted our style as managers and leaders… and it’s been very impactful.”
“It is about ensuring that our managers have the tools and flexibility to do whatever is appropriate for them.”
Also believing that there’s no ‘one rule’ for managers when working remotely is Jane Falconer, Chief Human Resources Officer at construction company, ISG.
“For us, it is about ensuring that our managers have the tools and flexibility to do whatever is appropriate for them,” she explained. “We looked at what we needed to give them to do that, such as how to equip them to work in the way they wanted, and how to train them. This has turned into many sources of great ideas for best practice, and we ensure that these are accessible.”
Since the organisation adopted a hybrid approach to working, Falconer explained that ISG has been keen to enable managers to facilitate the conversations with their team members that help them spot the signs of someone struggling. This, she says, has been very effective for the firm.
“We partnered with Mental Health UK to help our managers spot the key signs, as when you’re not around people all the time it is easy to miss things,” she continued.
“So, we’ve done things like resilience training and how to hold supportive conversations to give our managers some top tips. It doesn’t make them experts, but it equips them with some helpful insights. If you’re not seeing people every day, they don’t always tell you what’s going on, so it’s about having the infrastructure available to help.”
“Ultimately, it's about upskilling your managers to deal with the challenges of hybrid working.”
For Jo James, Head of HR at AJ Bell, it has been important to upskill managers within the organisation so that they are equipped for success when leading teams remotely.
“Ultimately, it's about upskilling your managers to deal with the challenges of hybrid working,” she explained.
“Hybrid working is undoubtedly a different way, a different model, and people need different skills to work in that environment. We've supported by providing additional training for our managers, giving them bespoke programmes to help them adjust to remote working, along with ongoing learning and development and providing key messaging.”
AJ Bell uses MC3, a management development tool unique to Best Companies. She explained that using the tool has helped managers with the business improve engagement with their teams.
“MC3 is a big part of what we do,” she said. “It's been a journey, but in our latest data, 61% of our managers were 3* and 26% were 2*. There’s still work to be done, but it clearly gives people a framework to reference and think: how am I working and interacting to make things better for my team?”
“Communication is key, but it's also about clarity of purpose and connection of teams.”
At UK Coaching, CEO Mark Gannon believes that when it comes to helping managers thrive in a post-pandemic world, there’s three core things it focuses on.
“Communication is key, but it's also about clarity of purpose and connection of teams,” he explained.
The organisation has ensured that regardless of where managers are based, and how they work, they have an outlet to be able to share any thoughts and concerns with other members of staff, as well as discuss the best approach to remote or hybrid working.
“We’ve established a channel internally known as ‘#WeCare’,” he continued. “This allows managers to talk about any problems they are facing, whether that’s inside or outside of work, as well as any challenges with the changing environment. It’s helpful for them to connect with others on different subject matters.”
To enjoy this session in full, see the full recording here.
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