Francis Goss, Reward
Employee engagement relies on a clear line of sight running throughout the organisation, transmitting its vision and purpose clearly and accurately in an unbroken line - from top to bottom, board room to shop floor and all points in between. Great stuff.
But somewhere in the path of that transmission sits the line manager. How many times do we hear people complaining about line managers being a blockage rather than a conduit for information? From any direction, it's the people managers who often take the flack, when we should really be looking at ways to help them.
All too often, talented people are promoted to line management without being given the necessary tools and training to fulfil their new people management responsibilities. Being great at sales, customer service or manufacturing, for example, doesn't qualify a person to manage, motivate and engage with their team. In fact, the Chartered Management Institute's Spring Economic Outlook published in May this year showed that only one manager in five received formal management training, and suggested that managers could be responsible for worsening workplace morale.
