Front line Managers and HR HR Contribution Front line Managers and HR

Front line managers and HR Front line managers are managers who are responsible for a work group who report to a higher level of management They are normally in the lower layers of the management hierarchy and the employees who report to them do not themselves have any managerial or supervisory responsibility

Front line Managers and HR Front line managers are usually promoted from the ranks of employees and are unlikely to have formal management education. Typically their management responsibilities would include: people management managing operational costs providing technical expertise organisation work allocation and rotas monitoring work processes checking quality dealing with customers/clients measuring operational performance

Their Roles In many organisations front line managers now carry out activities which were traditionally within the remit of HR such as coaching, performance appraisal, involvement and communication, and discipline and grievances. In many cases they also carry out recruitment and selection in conjunction with HR

Task! Is this the case in your organisation? Do line managers do everything or is there a traditional HR department? They may overlap at times Discuss in pairs and feedback

The role of front line managers The people and performance research carried out for the CIPD by a team at Bath University found that front line managers played a pivotal role in terms of implementing and enacting HR policies and practices They found that where employees feel positive about their relationship with their front line managers they are more likely to have higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment and loyalty which are associated with higher levels of performance or discretionary behaviour Discretionary behaviour is defined as that which goes beyond the requirements of the job to give that extra performance which can boost the bottom line

Where do their skills really lie The areas where front line managers make a significant difference to people management practices are: performance appraisal training, coaching and guidance involvement and communication openness – how easy is it for employees to discuss matters with their front line manager work-life balance recognition – the extent to which employees feel their contribution is recognised

Where are front line managers vital? The following are all areas where, although the process may be designed by HR, it cannot be delivered by HR. The front line manager role is crucial in a number of respects: in enabling the HR policies and practices, or bringing them to life in acting upon advice or guidance from HR in controlling the work flow by directing and guiding the work of others.

The qualities and skills needed from front line managers The Bath research found that front line managers exercise a strong influence over the level of discretion that an individual has over how they do their job. To encourage the kind of discretionary behaviour from employees associated with higher performance, front line managers need to: build a good working relationship with their staff. They need to lead, listen, ask, communicate, be fair, respond to suggestions and deal with problems help and support employees to take more responsibility for how they do their jobs by coaching and guidance build effective teams

How would you manage front line managers? Generally front line managers are more likely to display the positive behaviours associated with higher levels of performance from those they are managing if: they have good working relationships with their own managers the are provided with good career opportunities and supported to progress their careers they experience a positive work-life balance they are allowed to participate and feel involved in decision making there is an open organisational culture which enables them to air a grievance or discuss matters of personal concern they are given a sense of job security.

Task How do you see yourselves in this scenario? Is it justified to devolve everything to the line mgr? Why do you think this is happening. Do you see this scenario changing? How can HR support the line manager?