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Role of management has changed, possibly forever

In response to the remote working revolution, new managerial norms have been formed, leaving behind skills gaps in the management and development of individuals’ co-called ‘softer skills’. How can managers address emerging L&D challenges in the new era?

“How do you think that went?” The post-meeting debrief with your team is in short supply these days. When the world moved to remote working in 2020, many companies adapted well to the technical practicalities of the new environment, but the new managerial norms had only just begun to be formed.

Prior to 2020, individuals would bond with their manager after meetings had concluded. When the visitor / client / supplier walked out of the room, individuals would be eager to learn of their managers’ ‘take’ on the meeting. Were they on the same page? Did they notice the body language change when costs were mentioned? Did they also feel that they were getting the cold shoulder at the beginning? Shall we grab a coffee before our next meeting?

These micro-interactions came to a halt in March 2020 and were replaced by endless scheduled calls and emotionless emails. The role of the manager had changed, possibly forever.

From the Open-door Policy to the ‘Do Not Disturb’ Status
The proverbial chat-over-the-watercooler has been well-recognised as a deceptively valuable tool for building culture.

In the new world, that watercooler chat has gone, and senior managers have been quick to encourage a return to the workplace to uphold a strong sense of togetherness within their organisation.

But what else is missing?
Are managers as quick to recognise when an employee is in need of a morale boost? How do managers recognise team dynamics when they are not around to see and hear how teammates interact? Crucially, what soft skill development is no longer taking place now the manager is not with their team on a daily basis? Ask around and you may be surprised to learn how many of your friends and family have never physically met their line manager.

Cast your mind back to the beginning of your career. How often would you model your own conduct, speech and mannerisms on your preferred manager or director? A key objective of leadership is to guide and inspire others.

Managers used to pride themselves on their Open-door Policy however, the remote working revolution has normalised managers spending most of their days in ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode via their online collaboration platform.

In a recent study into the mental health of over 1,300 UK workers, the top two aggressors of poor mental health in the workplace were reported as:

  1. Manager Compassion
  2. Manager Attitude

These two areas raise an important question about where employees are looking for support. All managers can be guilty of a hastily written email request without the preceding pleasantries of what would otherwise typically take place when communicated verbally in the office.

In-person Requests:
Hi Meenam, how was your weekend? Mine was good thanks, went by too quickly as always! Did you go for that meal on Saturday? Ah great, yes it’s lovely there. Say, when you’ve got 5 minutes this morning, can you pull the campaign report so we can see how our PPC ads did over the weekend? Let me know when you’ve got them, and we can take a look together.

Remote Requests:
Meenam, can you send this weekend’s PPC report ASAP?

The seasoned workers amongst us may not bat an eyelid at the second scenario but to someone more junior in their career, it prompts questions of ‘what have I done wrong?’ and ‘does my manager dislike me?’. An aura of unapproachability is not going to inspire teams to ask and learn.

Addressing Manager Skill-Gaps
If management styles post-pandemic have become more directive, inevitably, the increasingly important ‘softer’ side of management will suffer.

Before we become too harsh of a critic, let’s remember the pandemic was a true, black swan event. Managers were not trained for this sudden shift in remote working however, with many companies remaining remote or moving to a hybrid model, it’s important the emerging skill-gaps of managers get addressed.

In any change of economic environment, new and innovative services arise. The well-publicised Zoom Boom of 2020 was testament to how new providers rose in popularity. The Pelotons of this world took advantage but have now been presented with an equally difficult challenge in re-adapting to the world resuming ‘normal’ activity.

Business coaching is a well-established industry. Ask anyone that has been part of the C-suite and they will beam with delight in telling you of their go-to ‘guru’ or, their long-standing business coach. But for too long, business coaching has been a preserve of the c-suite owing to its eye-wateringly high price point. Top coaches can charge upwards of £1,000 per hour so, it is little wonder why it was only your CEO that benefitted from a coach. The service is simply too cost-prohibitive for anyone else in a business to use.

Come 2022, advances in technology have enabled a new industry to emerge. Whilst at one time, if a manager wanted to find a business coach with experience from the same industry, operational function and business size to work with them on specific areas of development, it would have taken weeks or months to find the perfect coach that met those criteria.

The 8 Pillars of Employee Mindset and Growth
The democratisation of business coaching across organisations has been the mission of People Directors for a long time. New, app-based tools to connect employees to coaches at a substantially lower price point have been pinpointed at the perfect L&D device for the new era. Business coaches coach can help to upskill and develop managers, alongside collaborating with junior employees to fill the soft skill development gaps left behind by remote or hybrid working.

Raiys.com, one such app that connects employees to business coaches provides managers with a data-driven approach to L&D, evaluating employee engagement and development through coaching in the following areas of mindset and growth:

  1. Confidence
  2. Resilience
  3. Perspective
  4. Wellbeing
  5. Motivation
  6. Connection
  7. Leadership
  8. Productivity

Managers can adapt their leadership styles with the help of a coach and enable teams to develop in areas difficult to guide via remote working. Confidence in meetings, emotional intelligence, assertiveness are all excellent candidates for interpersonal development that are in danger of being overlooked by managers working remotely.

A good coach can identify areas for individual development and guide employees through a structured framework, allowing managers to balance the needs of their teams alongside their own individual productivity.

As the market for attracting and retaining talent proves evermore challenging for employers, new ways of engaging and developing individuals will be critical to secure a competitive advantage.

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