New research from the Skills Group suggests your untapped asset lies in the midriff
Middle managers have long been considered the meat in the organisational sandwich, pressure comes equally from executives above them and employees beneath them, but annual research conducted by Skills Group suggests this makes middle managers uniquely positioned to provide genuine and caring support to a workforce that is overwhelmingly asking for it.
The survey found that 61% of respondents felt their organisation genuinely cared for their wellbeing but when the respondents believed they had a good manager that jumped a massive 17% up to 78% and Jane Kennelly, GM of Wellbeing at Skills Group and 30-year stalwart of NZs HR realm told HRD that middle management is an area that a lot of organisations haven’t invested in for some time, and this data shows it’s time for leaders and HR to start considering it.
Read more: Middle managers under most stress
“Continually over the last few years,” explained Kennelly, “the area that seems to have missed out, has been that people leader in the middle of the organisation who has to do everything; they’ve got to be operationally efficient, they’ve got to engage their teams but when push comes to shove, they haven’t been hugely invested in – they need tools, techniques, and support to manage what is now a very complex world.”
When provided with a list and asked if they or anyone they knew had experienced the following, almost a third (30%) of survey respondents reported experiencing an issue with an unsupportive manager, when broken down into subsets, this inflates to 36% in the government sector and 39% in organisations with 500+ employees.
Read more: How to optimise people management
“Genuine care is what is required at the moment, and managers are being called on to show that, and they have to be able to do that. It’s about inciting passion and enthusiasm in individuals for the organisation that they work for.”
When asked how their direct report made them feel genuinely cared for in the workplace respondents were looking for a supportive manager that still allows for a degree of autonomy. 38% answered ‘Lets me get on with my job and doesn’t micro-manage’ and 34% said ‘is supportive’.
Ok-nomics is the simple idea that staff who feel valued, rewarded, and listened to, will create a culture of success. Conversely, staff who don’t will have the opposite effect.
“For employees, there is a link between being rewarded, recognised, and satisfied at work – that their wellbeing is being looked after or that they have the flexibility to look after their own wellbeing as well, that directly links to the bottom line,” said Kennelly.
Managers may be functional experts but to create a high-performing team they need wellbeing skills and tools. Jane Kennelly, GM of Wellbeing at Skills Group offers these tips
