This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency evaluates an employee's feelings regarding their direct manager or supervisor. The manager/supervisor competency covers topics like clarity of goals, manager support, coaching and feedback, and regular reviews of performance. The old adage that "people leave their managers, not organizations" is often true. Of all the workplace stressors, a bad immediate manager is one of the worst and will directly impact the emotional health, productivity, and retention of an employee. This competency can be especially insightful if your organization is losing quality employees while your compensation and benefit packages are equivalent with industry standards.
This article, Managerial Influence, was part of EngagedMetrics's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. This article tells the story of an HR department that diagnoses and deals with a managerial problem after recognizing its effects on the organization's employees.
Anonymous Submission
I recently accepted an HR Staff position at a prominent company in a nearby city. The job required relocation, but was well worth the move. I was very excited as I prepared to begin this new phase of my career.
My first day on the job brought the usual orientation activities, followed by an important meeting. The entire department was deeply involved in collecting and organizing the results of a recent employee satisfaction survey that had been conducted online. Once the organization was complete, the results would be presented to upper management for analysis and action.
"Hmmmm. There it is again," my manager mused several times during the course of the meeting. Later, I asked another coworker what she'd meant. "Just a bad situation involving the former manager of the purchasing department," she told me. Apparently, the manager of that department had recently been let go. This coworker seemed to relish telling me the story, so I let her continue. " We were just losing too many great employees. We'd hire workers with superb qualifications. They'd stay a little while and then they'd leave. Some gave two weeks notice and others just disappeared. The exit interviews were horrible - when it came to comments about the manager. They liked the company, the work, the pay and benefits, but it just wasn't enough." This person's "management style" caused more stress and emotional harm than some employees were willing to tolerate. Then the productivity studies came out, and the problem was even more obvious-even those who stayed on were doing less work, and the standard of performance for the whole department had dropped. Upper management reviewed all of the information and the manager was tactfully "let go".
I asked if things had improved since and was told that they most certainly had. A new manager had been promoted from within, which boosted morale among the remaining employees. Some new hires were settling in and productivity appeared to be on the mend. The employees in the purchasing department were thriving on the positive feedback, coaching, and support that had been sorely missed.
I thought about the HR department's role in this situation and realized how important it is for us to spot this type of problem early on. Managers represent the face of the company to hundreds of employees every day. We need to monitor their progress and be sure that they're putting their best foot forward every day if we want to be a great place to work and stay productive.
This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.
Measure. Report. Improve your organization with an EngagedMetrics Employee Survey System.
Josh Greenberg is President of EngagedMetrics, Inc.
EngagedMetrics provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
Launch your EngagedMetrics Employee Survey System with EngagedMetrics.
Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More
This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates... Read More
Too many businesses wait until a crisis occurs before they... Read More
How long does it take your customers, clients or patients... Read More
Marketing ISO 9001 2000.Lately we've been seeing a lot of... Read More
This article relates to the human resource functions competency, commonly... Read More
A curious thing happens to entrepreneurs in the spring of... Read More
Performance Management is the act of managing personal or organizational... Read More
Writing a Business Plan for your next entrepreneurial endeavor is... Read More
The workplace has traditionally been a dangerous place. Very early... Read More
It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More
Criticism has the power to do good when there is... Read More
If you were to take the people out of an... Read More
STEPS TOWARDS GIVING A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW: Give specific feedback.... Read More
AbstractThe electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition,... Read More
Excess capacity in an automobile plant at Ford, Chrysler, Toyota,... Read More
We all are on a quest for knowledge. Whether its... Read More
How many times have the management consultants been 'in' and... Read More
Imagine the following scenario; Ten years ago you decided to... Read More
International business is more complex than ever before. Success in... Read More
Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the... Read More
People want to understand their role - they want to... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More
By sharing how well you are doing and how well... Read More
The other day someone asked me for one of my... Read More
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More
Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It... Read More
Conservative and staid organisations generally have a harder time implementing... Read More
Audiences who saw the fabled Broadway musical, Chorus Line, marveled... Read More
Let me repeat a story I heard many years ago... Read More
In a previous life I was a Navy Pilot. Great... Read More
TO: All Parents [and Employers and Managers]From: Your Child and/or... Read More
Leadership in Troubled Times The... Read More
Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business... Read More
So, you survived the downsizing. Your company did something that... Read More
Recently, I felt appalled to see a political candidate running... Read More
Q: One of my key employees is giving me trouble.... Read More
Everyone wants to describe themselves as a leader. Everyday, new... Read More
Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More
OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never... Read More
It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More
The Security Consultant's Perspective...Implementing Personnel Security Initiatives should be the... Read More
A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that... Read More
ACCOUNTING AND BILLINGCHECK BOOKSWe recommend that you maintain a business... Read More
Like many, I watched the 134th Belmont Stakes hoping to... Read More
About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have... Read More
Do you announce a meeting and find either no one... Read More
You can't solve a problem with the... Read More
The title implies that some people are and others not.This... Read More
However hard we try, we seem to make life more... Read More
'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More
Did you know that maintenance accounts for 50% to 80%... Read More
Hiring good people is only half the battle. The other... Read More
Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives... Read More
Whether you are a consultant, coach, business owner, doctor, professional,... Read More
The first step in planning an agenda is to identify... Read More
How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More
Many organisations use the term "lessons learned" to describe the... Read More
Criticism has the power to do good when there is... Read More
Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of... Read More
Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital... Read More
It is sometimes valuable to bring the sales manager into... Read More
As we near the end of summer, here is a... Read More
Business Management |