Nurturing the skills of tomorrow’s line managers

Global events have propelled hybrid working, emphasising the need for an agile, diverse workforce with a focus on flexibility, work-life balance, and growth opportunities. Amid mental health challenges, employee well-being is crucial. Line managers, pivotal in employee experience, require development. What are the key areas of development for line managers?

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Global events of the past four years have accelerated hybrid working, fostering an increasingly agile, diverse workforce. This has enabled people to exert more control in how they shape work around their lives. As a result, employees want to work in organisations offering flexibility, work life balance and opportunities for growth¹.

More employees are also grappling with the mental health implications of the cost of living crisis, conflict and natural disasters happening across the world. Employee wellbeing is therefore an increasingly important priority for organisations now and in the future.

Line managers are at the forefront of employee experience, playing a pivotal role in how successful organisations respond. With 75% of workers leaving their jobs for reasons that could be directly influenced by their line manager, significant investment in developing the right skills in line managers is going to be essential².

What are the key areas of development for line managers of the future?

How can organisations foster these skills?

Good line managers are not born, they are nurtured and supported to become highly effective. Too often employees are left to their own devices, with little or no guidance on what ‘good looks like’. Now and in the future, these are key elements to focus on with the line manager population:

Evolve your development offering to reflect the future of work: Set out a clear learning journey, designed to build capability in your line manager population, refreshing your offering on a regular basis to ensure you are aligned with the latest insights.
Set clear expectations: Provide clear direction to line managers on their roles & responsibilities, framing it in the most current context for employees.

Provide support: In order for them to deliver support to employees, line managers also need to feel there is care & guidance available. This should include opportunities for coaching, de-briefs, and development conversations.

Having leaders who role model these skills: Increase visibility of leaders role modeling the behaviours you expect in line managers, finding ways to engage outside of the traditional format, to ensure you reach employees regardless of when and where they are working.

Recognition: Provide regular overt recognition of the value and importance of their job. This is a chance to both celebrate and acknowledge the challenging nature of being a line manager in an ever-evolving workplace.

If this topic is of interest or you have any questions. We would love to chat!