Train Managers to Strengthen Employee Relationships to Improve Engagement
- The responsibility of employee engagement has been on the shoulders of HR and the executive team for years, but managers, not HR or executives, should be primarily responsible for employee engagement.
- Managers often fail to take steps to improve due to the following reasons:
- They don’t understand the impact they can have on engagement.
- They don’t understand the value of an engaged workforce.
- They don’t feel that they are responsible for engagement.
- They don’t know what steps they can personally take to improve engagement levels.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Managers have a large impact on employee engagement and retention. According to McLean & Company’s engagement data, every 10% increase in the category “my manager inspires me to improve” resulted in a 3.6% increase in an employee’s intent to stay.
- To improve the manager relationship driver, managers cannot abdicate the responsibility of strengthening relationships with employees to HR – they must take the ownership role.
Impact and Result
- When an organization focuses on strengthening manager relationships with employees, managers should be the owner and IT leadership should be the facilitator.
- Info-Tech recommends starting with the three most important actions to improve employee trust and therefore engagement: inform employees of the why behind decisions, interact with them on a personal level, and involve them in decisions that affect them (also known as the “3 I’s”).
- Use this blueprint to prepare to train managers on how to apply the 3 I principles and improve the score on this engagement driver.
Train Managers to Strengthen Employee Relationships to Improve Engagement Research & Tools
Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
1. Make the case
Educate managers on the impact they have on engagement.
- Train Managers to Strengthen Employee Relationships to Improve Engagement Storyboard
2. Prepare for the training session by understanding key concepts
Learn the 3 I’s of engagement and understand IT leaders as role models for engagement.
- Training Deck: Train Managers to Build Trusting Relationships to Improve Engagement
3. Plan the training session and customize the materials
Determine the logistics of the training session: the who, what, and where.
- Participant Notebook: Take Ownership of Manager Relationships
4. Track training success metrics and follow up
Determine ways to track the impact the training has on employee engagement.
- Training Evaluation: Manager Relationships
Workshop: Train Managers to Strengthen Employee Relationships to Improve Engagement
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Make the Case for Strengthening Manager Relationships
The Purpose
Educate managers on the impact they have on engagement and the relationship between employee trust and engagement.
Identify reasons why managers fail to positively impact employee engagement.
Inform managers of their responsibility for employee engagement.
Key Benefits Achieved
Increased awareness of managers regarding their impact on employee engagement.
Improved understanding of manager role.
Creation of plan to increase employee trust and engagement.
Activities
1.1 Describe relationship between trust and engagement.
1.2 Review data on manager’s impact on engagement.
Outputs
Gain an understanding of the 3 I’s of building trust.
Address key objections managers might have.
2 Prepare for the Training Session by Understanding Key Concepts and Your Role as HR
The Purpose
Understand key concepts for engagement, such as inform, interact, and involve.
Use McLean & Company’s advice to get past pain points with managers.
Key Benefits Achieved
Understand the key principles and activities in the manager training deck.
Gain advice for dealing with pushback from managers.
Learn about actions that you can take to adopt the 3 I’s principle and act as a role model.
Activities
2.1 Practice manager training exercises on informing, interacting with, and involving employees.
Outputs
Become familiar with and prepared to take managers through key training exercises.
3 Plan the Training Session and Customize the Materials
The Purpose
Determine who will participate in the manager training session.
Become familiar with the content in the training deck and ensure the provided examples are appropriate.
Key Benefits Achieved
Logistics planned for your own training session.
Your own case made more powerful by adding your engagement data to the training deck slides.
Improved delivery of training, making it more effective and engaging for participants.
Activities
3.1 Consider your audience for delivering the training.
3.2 Plan out logistics for the training session—the who, where, and when.
Outputs
Ensure that your training sessions include the appropriate participants.
Deliver a smooth and successful training session.
4 Track Training Success Metrics and Follow Up
The Purpose
Determine ways to track the impact the training has on employee engagement.
Understand how to apply the 3 I’s principle across HR functions.
Key Benefits Achieved
Measure the value of engagement training.
Gain immediate feedback on employee engagement with the McLean Leadership Index.
Determine how HR can support managers in building stronger relationships with employees.
Activities
4.1 Determine how HR can support management in strengthening employee relationships.
Outputs
Create a culture of trust throughout the organization.