Managers are the gateway between strategy and practice

Line managers have played a pivotal role in supporting their teams and maintaining productivity over the pandemic. The extent to which they have implemented effective and open communication has consistently determined the success of teams acting on behalf of the public and their clients.

Frameworks that organise pay and roles throughout an organisation have often been a valuable reference for line managers to drive productivity remotely and coordinate their teams during this turbulent period. Here we outline how line managers collectively determine employee morale and can align each employee with the vision of the wider organisation.

Linking pay to performance conversations

The purpose of pay structures is far-reaching, covering organisational design, clarity around roles and employee engagement, but the benefits they bring for management is a particularly important outcome that the framework can offer.

When reviewing performance management systems with customers, line management is often cited as the critical factor in ensuring that the existing or new framework is a success. Managers are the key gateway between the system in theory and its implementation, determining whether it is consistently delivered across the organisation and particularly in relation to identifying objectives in relation to improvements. Justifying pay reviews is also crucial in maintaining momentum behind employee engagement, even in spite of incremental increases or pay freezes.

Support future line managers

Organisations need to identify the right talent to lead from the moment they join. Being an effective leader takes time and effort. Once in a managerial role, organisations tend to want to see immediate results. However, individuals are facing new and multiple responsibilities, where they cannot rely on diligence to engage and motivate the wider team. Leadership development programmes should be accessible for all to secure a future pipeline of effective managers and not just offered to those already in these positions of responsibility.

Actively listening to employees

We are seeing more creative approaches to support current leaders in engaging their teams. Increasingly, HR teams are pursuing entry interviews, not just exit interviews, to ascertain what the employee has valued about the onboarding experience and where improvements can be made. This not only helps to lower employee turnover levels – these insights can support managers’ understanding of their teams and what drives the individuals they are managing from the outset, not just during defined management conversations around performance and objectives. Employee opinion surveys are also becoming an increasingly used point of reference to inform management practises. These surveys enable organisations to quickly understand their employees’ reactions to the existing culture and new initiatives, whilst identifying areas for improvement.

Engage with employees as individuals

Encouraging managers to take the time to get to know the people in their team as individuals ensures that greater trust and clarity around roles can be encouraged from the outset. This promotes a rounded employee experience and lays the foundations for more effective performance management across organisations.

Get in touch

As companies define their working arrangements post-pandemic and the extent to which they implement hybrid working, line managers will have an increasingly critical role in leading their teams through the next phase of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

We’d love to discuss ways in which you can equip managers with the knowledge, tools and training to maximise the effectiveness of their teams – call us today.