Why is HR important to all managers?

Employees are the foundation of every business, which is why human resources (HR) is an integral part of every organisation. Ultimately, your HR team plays a substantial role in developing a positive company culture while working to improve employee engagement and productivity. However, HR involves more than just your dedicated organisational department.

The importance of training leaders in HR
In today’s modern workplace, where employees and organisations are faced with uncertainty and change, it’s more important than ever that all leaders are trained in HR — not just those working in HR. People managers like ourselves are always intent on seeing employees and their companies succeed, and adequate HR training is an effective way to help business leaders lead their teams to this outcome.

Managers inevitably deal with employee conflicts, performance reviews, recruitment of new staff, ongoing training management and more. As a result, a sufficient understanding of HR will be vital throughout their careers. Properly training business leaders in HR helps managers:

Take a more employee-centric approach
Adequate HR training can quickly help managers gain a deeper awareness of what their team members need to succeed — with an understanding that employees who are satisfied, engaged and feel appreciated are more likely to drive better business results. However, they need support and guidance from effective managers to reach their full potential. In fact, Limeade Institute found that 60% of workers who said they felt cared for are planning to stay with their companies for three years or more. As managers take a more employee-centric approach and prioritise their employees’ needs and happiness, organisations can expect to see significantly higher levels of engagement, productivity and retention.

Better coach and manage team members’ performances
A large part of management involves coaching employees to improve performance while monitoring how they’re currently doing. Adequate HR training is a linchpin in this leadership development for managers. With the right knowledge and skills at their disposal, managers will feel more prepared to take on these situations confidently by:

• Asking guiding questions in challenging circumstances.
• Recognising what’s going well with employees and what needs improvement.
• Listening to their workforce and empowering them moving forward.
• Understanding different perspectives throughout the workplace.
• Committing to continuous learning.

HR training can help managers improve how they coach and manage team members’ performances

Improve how they handle redundancies and terminations
Letting employees go from the company, especially if the circumstances are unrelated to job performance or behaviour, can be incredibly daunting for business leaders. Luckily, managers can utilise HR training to help them manage these situations more effectively. With an HR skill set on their side, managers can better identify, review and evaluate employees to determine when redundancies or terminations are a necessity — as well as gain a deeper insight into how to handle these circumstances successfully. This might include:

• Ensuring redundancies are genuine.
• Understanding your obligations for a smoother process.
• Implementing a communication strategy that’s clear and effective.
• Supporting individuals to mitigate the impact of these situations.

Overall, managers that demonstrate a high level of talent for managing others contribute about 48% higher profit to their companies than average managers do, according to a report from Gallup. While your HR department exists as a support system and a helpful guide for difficult situations, being able to directly foster positive outcomes as a manager can quickly improve your leadership abilities — which will be valuable throughout your career and across industries.

Understanding basic policies and familiarising yourself with the HR department is a key factor in feeling more confident as a leader and your ability to manage employees effectively, and ICML is here to help. Contact us to discuss training options or learn more about our HR for managers course.