We all know happy, engaged employees are the backbone of a thriving business. But in many businesses, like bustling restaurants, busy supermarkets, or whirring factories – keeping everyone motivated and making time for training is not always easy.
You and your HR or L&D team probably work tirelessly to create fantastic training programs, but getting them out there to the people on the floor is not always easy. Working with and supporting the managers can give you a real boost in reaching and activating employees with the training. Your managers might be your hidden heroes here.
Let's have a look at the power of managers.
Why Managers Matter for Employee Training
Managers are the glue that holds upper management and the workforce together. They keep daily operations running smoothly, drive employee engagement, and navigate the team to reach its goals. It's no secret that managers are crucial to your business' success.
Research even shows that managers hold the key to employee happiness and engagement. A recent Gallup study reveals that 70% of employee engagement comes down to their managers.
In other words, managers have a big influence on your employees' engagement. They affect everything from employee well-being to productivity, which can be translated into business performance indicators such as better customer ratings, higher profits, lower turnover, fewer safety incidents, etc.
Why is this? A good manager is present, knows their team, and can spot where more encouragement is needed and where priority needs to be placed. The good managers are on the front lines, coaching and guiding their teams.
3 Common Challenges for Managers
Let's face it: staying on top of everything can make managers feel like they're juggling flaming torches. The team's learning and development is only part of the never-ending to-do list.
Sometimes, even the best managers feel limited by just keeping the daily operations going. This can frustrate everyone, cause great training programs to be underutilized, and lower employee engagement.
Here are some common challenges managers face:
- Time Constraints: A Deloitte study found that a significant 84% of managers in manufacturing struggle to find time for team development amidst daily operations. Training often takes a backseat to keep things running smoothly.
- Maintaining Morale: Keeping everyone motivated in demanding environments is tough. According to Gallup, only 25% of employees feel truly engaged at work. Managers need innovative ways to keep things positive.
- Diverse Skillsets: Teams are like a big buffet – packed with people at different skill levels. The Association for Talent Development (ATD) reports that 56% of talent development professionals struggle with managing this variety. Managers need a system that allows for personalization.
These challenges can leave managers feeling overwhelmed and unable to support their teams fully.
How to Support Your Managers
So, what can you do to help them overcome the challenges, unlock their full potential, and turn your managers into employee development champions? As an HR or L&D professional, you can support your managers by:
- Provide solid leadership training. Some are natural leaders; some are not. But no matter the starting point everyone can benefit from leadership training. Give all managers proper training so they can do and be their best for the benefit of everyone.
- Give managers the right tools to succeed. Utilize digital tools to ease and simplify their work. Having an overview and getting data to support quicker and better decisions regarding their teams' training saves a lot of time and administration work, leaving more time to be hands-on with their team.
"My Team" - to Ease Managers Work
In Learningbank, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we can better support managers. After many conversations with customers, here’s what we came up with - a designated place in our platform just for managers, My Team.
Have a look at this video where Hjalte explains how My Team works.👇
My Team equips managers with the tools to ease their challenges and help manage their team's training and development in a smarter way. Here are a few great aspects of it:
- Streamlined Training Management: Forget about the paperwork headaches! My Team's user-friendly interface, which provides automated reminders and actions, will free up valuable time for managers to focus on hands-on training and development conversations with their teams.
- Data-Driven Insights: Provides a better foundation for decision-making and supports managers in moving their team forward in upskilling, career progression, changes in roles or changes in the organization, etc.
- Personalized Learning Paths: My Team makes personalized learning paths a breeze. Managers can easily keep an overview of their teams' training down to individual skill levels and development goals, ensuring everyone gets the support they need.
By giving managers the tools and support they need, you can unlock your manager's full potential and help you get the most out of your employee training.
Are you a customer and want more details about My Team? See our help center article here.