HR is more than just an administrative function. HR departments are a key strategic partner in driving business results and shaping organizational culture.
For example, Human Resources played a critical role in supporting organizations through COVID-19. The department became more focused on strategy as employee expectations and business demands changed. This meant a change of HR focused on products for results.
But the transformation of human resources departments did not begin or end with the pandemic.
HR functions H H. and People Ops that have a tangible impact on business results by creating results are taken more seriously, and being taken more seriously and seen as a strategic partner means more business impact and less time fighting over resources and budget allocation.
But how exactly can HR affect business results?
HR Results: An Overview
At 15Five, we’ve spent years working hand-in-hand with thousands of HR leaders on their most important priorities, learning precisely which outcomes have the biggest impact on a business. Together, we’ve figured out exactly what areas HR leaders need to focus on and how.
These results are:
- Maximize employee performance
- Decrease pitiful turnover
- Improve employee engagement
These key areas receive the most attention from executive teams and key decision makers, while substantially impacting business results. Let’s take a deeper look at each of these outcomes and how they relate to manager effectiveness.
Improve employee engagement
Engaged employees have a deep commitment and involvement with a company. They are passionate about their role, their requirements, and the broader goals of the organization.
Employee engagement leads to higher productivity, happier employees, a positive work culture, job satisfaction, and employee retention.
The manager/employee relationship is particularly important when it comes to employee engagement. For example, an ineffective manager can significantly affect an employee’s level of commitment to a company. Therefore, improving the effectiveness of managers cannot be overlooked as a tactic to boost employee engagement.
Maximize employee performance
Every organization wants high performing employees. After all, why hire someone who doesn’t do their best?
When teams execute their work at a continuous high level, companies can:
- Achieve organizational goals faster
- Increase productivity and efficiency
- Offer exceptional customer service
- Improve employee engagement and morale
- Provide accurate performance appraisals
- Provide impactful and actionable feedback
Managers have direct responsibility for ensuring that employees have the tools and resources to perform their jobs at a high level and execute sustained performance. So it’s important to make sure managers themselves have the right skills and access to the right training to help support their teams.
Decrease pitiful turnover
Unfortunate turnover occurs when an employee’s departure has a negative impact on the organization or when a high-performing employee the company would like to keep decides to leave on their own.
Dismal turnover is fixed by focusing on understanding why top performers are dissatisfied with staying. And managers often have a big influence on the impact of employee turnover. In fact, according to gallupUp to 70% of an employee’s commitment to work can be attributed to the quality of their boss.
The best way to move the needle on these results? Focus on effective managers.
Manager Effectiveness: The Key Driver of Business Results
By now, we have established that an effective manager has a significant impact on employee performance, engagement, development, and retention. By investing in manager effectiveness, organizations can create a high-performing culture and workforce that drive business results.
Yet in our 2023 Manager Effectiveness Report, we found that only 37% of employees are impressed with their managers’ leadership skills. Without support or investment in their growth, these managers can have a negative impact on their teams and the organization as a whole.
It’s time for HR leaders to focus on managerial effectiveness and equipping their managers with the tools they need to unleash the potential of their teams and the organization as a whole.
How to Invest in Manager Effectiveness: Transforming Microlearning
At 15Five, our mission is to empower managers with the right skills and behaviors to drive the growth of their employees and the business results of their teams.
For managers themselves, having the resources to continue their development is a key lever in retention and engagement and one of the main reasons the best employees take or leave a job.
We know managers are crucial to impacting results, so we are dedicated to developing managers and leaders within your workflow.
When HR leaders are asked to do the same (or more) but with fewer (resources), investing in leaders is essential to boosting the engagement, performance, and retention of managers and their employees.
But not everyone is ready to jump right into Transform right away.
That’s why we’re excited to introduce Transform Microlearning so more of our clients can benefit from increased manager effectiveness.
Introducing Transform Microlearning
Transform Microlearning gives 15Five clients the ability to invest in their managers within their workflow through bite-sized skill-building content within the 15Five platform.
Now you can get a taste of the kind of transformation possible through 15Five’s Transform Manager Coaching and Training.
We added Microlearning to our platform because we know it can have a significant impact on improving manager effectiveness, which, in turn, plays a critical role in driving results across our clients’ main focus areas: Engagement, Performance, and Retention.
Here are some examples of the topics found in Transform Microlearning:
Stress management: feel better, progress: Learn about the different types of stress and become aware of your unique stress response behaviors. You will explore and practice a stress management framework that can be used with your team to increase resilience to stress.
Meaningful 1 to 1: Goals, Growth, Feedback: Find out what makes 1-on-1s the most powerful conversational practice for any team leader. Learn about common pitfalls, plus a framework to help you prepare and drive meaningful 1-on-1s using relational skills, co-created agendas, goals, and accountability.
Set goals that matter: A crash course in goal setting. Essential techniques for creating OKRs to create goals that are both inspiring and measurable, while navigating common obstacles. Learn practices to ensure high-quality work and manage ongoing progress
Conducting psychological safety with clarity of roles: As a manager, making sure your team knows what you’re responsible for (and what success looks like) is crucial. Explore the elements of role clarity and why it’s necessary for psychological safety and overall team success. Learn a framework for connecting business needs with job expectations and conversational tools for gaining or reinstating areas of responsibility.
Continually measure the impact of your manager
Improving manager effectiveness is important, but so is tracking that improvement. To confidently understand the impact of manager development programs and initiatives, HR leaders are turning to 15Five managers effectiveness indicator.
The Manager Effectiveness Indicator is designed to give you a holistic understanding of manager effectiveness by using data to analyze skills, behaviors, and results. Managers can configure the indicator to reflect the aspects of manager effectiveness that most align with their organization.
Managers at all levels, including team leaders, novices, department heads, and seasoned professionals, are critical to the success of your business. And HR is perfectly positioned to give managers the support they need as they move the needle on business results.
Drive impact with 15Five
Ready to see the positive transformation for yourself?
To get started with Transform Microlearning, request a 15Five demo and see how 15Five can empower your managers and elevate your organization with our powerful tools and insights.
