From accidental to accomplished managers: Transform HR
With the growing complexity of managing people in hybrid work environments, and Labour’s proposed new day-one employment rights, HR leaders and line managers face increased pressure. Mental health concerns also continue to rise, especially in hybrid work settings where boundaries between work and personal life can be a challenge, addressing well-being is more critical than ever.
Managers are often the first point of contact for employees facing complex workplace challenges. Their ability to respond with compassion and ensure compliance significantly impacts employee experience, retention, and performance. Therefore, both HR leaders and line managers need to work together to create supportive environments.
To succeed in this demanding workplace landscape, transforming people managers into effective leaders through leadership development is essential. This is particularly important for those who have transitioned into management roles without formal preparation.
Transform ‘accidental managers’ through leadership development
According to Gartner®, “76% of HR leaders say their managers are overwhelmed by the growth of their job responsibilities. And 73% say their leaders and managers aren’t equipped to lead change.”
Many managers are “accidental people managers” who have excelled in their roles but lack the leadership training and support needed to effectively manage teams. This can lead to overwhelming situations, which is concerning given the old adage: ‘People don’t leave companies; they leave managers’.
Providing managers with the right digital tools, resources, and support is crucial for enabling them to effectively handle workplace conduct, reduce legal risks, and drive better business outcomes. This support is essential regardless of their level of people management experience but is particularly transformative for “accidental managers”.
Gartner Insights, Where HR Will Focus in 2024, Jordan Turner, October 17, 2023
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
How can organisations transform their HR approach and boost manager capability?
- Comprehensive training: Invest in training programmes covering conflict resolution, performance management, and employee engagement to equip managers with the skills to handle complex workplace issues. The Empowering People Group offer a range of leadership development opportunities here.
- Accessible resources: Provide easy-to-use and accessible legal guidelines, HR policies, and HR best practices to support prompt and accurate decision-making.
- HR technology integration: Review your employee relations case management processes to ensure they include automated alerts for managers and data-driven insights. If these features are missing from your HR tech stack, consider investing in solutions that provide them. This reduces conduct issues escalating to formal cases unnecessarily.
Real-world impact of improving manager capability of ‘accidental managers’
Empowering line managers to self-serve employee relations matters in the moment with digital guided journeys and expert coaching can lead to significant improvements in the workplace. Here are some benefits of enhancing manager capability through digital transformation:
- Reduced sickness absence costs: Empowered managers proactively manage employee well-being and address sickness absence more effectively. Our customers have seen a 10% reduction in sickness absence costs through proactive people management (Read case study).
- Lower risk of employment tribunal claims: Effective and compliant handling of workplace disputes can prevent issues from escalating into formal employee relations cases unnecessarily. When managed well, this approach can also reduce business risk. Wickes saw a 50% reduction in employment tribunal claims after transforming their case management approach (Read case study).
- Enhanced managerial capability: Improving the way line managers handle workplace disputes and general conduct issues empowers them to efficiently manage up to 90% of employee relations tasks instead of always relying on HR. This boosts overall business productivity and employee engagement as manager-employee relationships are strengthened (See business transformation results).
Is your HR team managing a high volume of issues being escalated by managers?
empower® by AdviserPlus is a market-leading employee relations case management system that guides managers through how to handle conduct issues like performance and behaviour, including disciplinary actions, capability concerns, grievances, and bullying and harassment. It also supports the management of both short-term and long-term sickness absence.
With this digital assistant guiding managers through scenarios that commonly escalate to HR, organisations can ensure consistency, fairness, and compliance. And reducing the need for HR involvement in every instance, empower® allows HR teams to focus on more complex cases that require their expertise, confident that managers are effectively managing people and maintaining a positive employee experience.
How can AdviserPlus help you build manager capability today?
Transforming “accidental people managers” and upskilling existing managers into strong leaders is crucial for the future of HR and the success of large UK companies. By investing in comprehensive training, user-friendly resources, and effective HR technology, you can empower your managers to lead with confidence.
This transformation will improve the management of employee relations issues, reduce legal risks, and enhance overall business performance, while also allowing HR teams to concentrate on strategic business objectives.
If you’re interested in exploring ways to simplify this process, our experts are available to help you build a strong business case for investment in manager empowerment. Enquire today to find out more.
Download our ‘Overcoming the barriers to manager empowerment whitepaper‘ to read more about the strategies and benefits in more detail.