| HR Mangers have an important contribution to play in | | | | goals? |
| lifting employee performance by ensuring that they | | | | Ask your managers and supervisors about the |
| have competent managers and supervisors. The | | | | strengths of relationships in their teams and what they |
| reason for high staff turnover is that people don't | | | | are going to do so they are constantly being improved. |
| leave businesses; they leave their managers. By | | | | You will need to know how it is planned, implemented |
| developing better leadership skills in these managers, | | | | and measured |
| staff retention increases. An interesting exercise for an | | | | I would ask them to rate their team members on a |
| HR Manager, is to do a comparison between the cost | | | | scale of 1 to 10. In categories like, attendance, |
| of staff turnover and the cost of developing the | | | | productivity, contribution and value. Where 1 is |
| leadership skills of their managers. There is a strong | | | | unacceptable and 10 is excellent. I would ask them |
| relationship between leadership competence and staff | | | | how they are going to manage the performance of |
| turnover. | | | | those below 6. I would ask them of the implications of |
| It is important for all HR managers to clearly specify | | | | not managing the performance of those people. I |
| their expectations to their management teams. These | | | | would like to see a plan of how they intended to either |
| expectations should be expressed as principles or | | | | lift the performance of these people or replace them. |
| guidelines within which the managers and supervisors | | | | After they had been trained in coaching, I would |
| should operate. If they wish to do something which is | | | | expect them to involve the staff in decision-making |
| perceived to be outside the agreed principles, then | | | | and be a resource for their supervisors. I would expect |
| they should refer the situation back to their HR | | | | them to have a good insight into staff morale and |
| Manager for discussion. | | | | create an environment where people are willing to |
| Try this. Ask your managers to consider your | | | | contribute their ideas for improvements and innovative |
| expectations and judge whether they are fair and | | | | ways of doing things. |
| reasonable. If they agree that they are fair and | | | | I would expect my managers and supervisors to |
| reasonable you can expect them to fulfil them. If they | | | | advise me in advance of potentially difficult problems. |
| don't consider them fair and reasonable, then you have | | | | As an HR Manager, or executive I would not want to |
| something to discuss and negotiate. Unless they | | | | be surprised about anything in the business. |
| consider them fair and reasonable and had the | | | | By providing better leadership at managerial and |
| opportunity to have a discussion, they will ignore them. | | | | supervisory level, the performance of the staff will |
| Is it a fair expectation that your managers and | | | | follow. It is totally unrealistic to expect that better |
| supervisors will develop their staff to their potential? Is | | | | performance will start at the bottom. |
| it also a fair expectation for them to show evidence of | | | | Poor leadership almost always guarantees poor staff |
| a plan to successfully reach their staff development | | | | performance. |