Line managers play an important part in the overall employee experience, which is why line manager training is important. Line managers are key spokespeople for both the company, and their staff, delivering messages from senior leaders while also carrying feedback from employees to decision makers.
But feedback from our recent webinars with line managers show they are struggling across four key areas – how to approach a lack of engagement from the employee; how to ensure mental health support is effective as employees are transitioning back to working in the office; priorities for setting a mental health strategy such as the promotion of good mental health; and how to support employees and the wider team/other co-workers, particularly if a crisis occurs.
Line managers have a role in supporting their employees’ career development and progression, which is important in employee satisfaction and retention. Through this work, they are likely to be close enough to staff to spot behavioural changes such as those indicating difficulties with mental health. We know this is a tough responsibility and not one that training is always provided for.
Line managers have a responsibility to know where to turn when things aren’t going so well for staff. They don’t have to know it all, but they should be familiar enough with company policies and offerings that they can advise staff where to turn when needed. While some staff might seek support from their line manager, often it might not be straightforward. Line managers often want to help employees but are unable to reach or engage with them. Feedback from workshops we have undertaken with line managers portrays scenarios where an employee would not admit they were struggling when their behaviour said otherwise, or where an employee would not seek medical help, or where they would not want to discuss mental health with their line manager.
It was clear that this could be a really difficult situation for a manager who wants to support but can’t see how to make that connection with their staff member.
This is especially true considering the employee doesn’t have to disclose details regarding their health. In this situation, it may simply be a case of leaving the door open for any future decision to seek help and making sure that company-provided support is easily accessible, with no barriers.
The new working environment continues to present long-term concerns for managers, from supporting staff who might be navigating anxiety, to staying in touch with a team who may be continuing to be working remotely.
From those who continue to fully or partially work from home, we heard that the absence of face-to-face time with their teams often remains a challenge when it comes to spotting the signs of mental ill health. There are ways around this, such as diarising routine catch ups and using informal team or individual catch ups to continue to keep in touch with colleagues. When it comes to setting a mental health strategy, there is a lot of advice out there for employers and, while much of it helpful, little of it is tailored to an individual’s organisation.
Line managers can start by taking steps to understand what their company has. Are the services promoted well and do staff know about them? How would they access them if they needed to? Can they do this outside of working hours? Staff surveys are a useful way to answer some of these questions.
We’d recommend that line managers and colleagues look at the demand, need, and the full suite of services on offer, rather than acting quickly just to tick a box – and to remember that each organisation might need a different solution.
Sadly, it is inevitable that at some point, line managers are likely to need to support staff through difficult times. New line managers in particular might not realise that they may be required to ensure the safety of employees going through crisis. In these situations, it’s essential for a positive outcome that managers are given training and education.
Without this awareness, employees may not get crucial support from their line manager. At the same time, the line manager risks becoming stressed, with an adverse impact on their mental health, creating a spiralling issue.
This could have many negative impacts, including a broken relationship between the employee and the line manager, and possibly with the employer itself.
