A third of managers (33% ) in Ireland have had no formal training, while 85% of current managers admit to feeling like they were ‘quietly promoted’ to manage other people, a new survey has shown.
Quiet promotions are where an employer gives an employee an increase in responsibility without formal acknowledgement, a pay increase or title change.
38% of managers stated that they have had to repeatedly* request formal training – with over two-thirds (61% ) stating that the key driver for this was feeling ‘overwhelmed’ or ‘underequipped’ to handle the role (*requested more than once ).
50% of managers are yet to ‘speak up’ to their leaders about their desire to have formal training – with 86% feeling that they don’t enough time to do so.
50% have not had any training on ED&I – with 17% having no ‘additional’ training outside of what is offered to all employees on a general level.
14% of managers reportedly have a ‘weak’ relationship with HR – with an overwhelming 57% only engaging with them when they have employee-related issues or concerns.
Gerrit Bouckaert – CEO of global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters told the Advertiser that while there has no doubt been a long history of people being promoted to management without formal training, this trend certainly seems more pronounced as of late.
“There could be a number of reasons for this, but at the forefront is that workplaces haven’t truly caught-up to the needs of a post-pandemic, hybrid-workforce.
“Modern day managers need to cope with remote management, a greater focus on mental health, and the emergence of Gen Z’s in the workplace – how do you train someone to handle all of that?
“In the past a manager’s primary role was to keep employees motivated and productive – in today’s world they are required to drive the culture & inclusion in the team, lead on digital adoption, possess an innate ability to know if a member of their team is struggling mentally and also be the bearer of bad news – be it delayed promotions, or muted pay rises.” he said.
“New research is even emerging that today’s managers are at risk of ‘empathy burnout’ – whereby too much is being asked of them from an emotional perspective.
He added that while the requirements from managers have evolved drastically and at rapid pace – it is simply not good enough that professionals have to ‘repeatedly’ request formal training.
“If you are to promote anyone then considerations should be given to whether a ) they are equipped to be a manager b ) what needs to be given to set them up for success.
“Not giving managers any formal training is setting them up for failure – ultimately causing the company to lose out as employee turnover rises and business productivity decreases.
“Managers are one of the primary reasons your employees will stay or leave an organisation – companies need to do everything they can in the way of training and support to ensure that their managers are the absolute best to work with and for.”
“Companies must remember that management is a very individual process, and we all have our own style and approach to this. For example, some professionals have a natural transition into management – such as a team player – whereas others, who are equally capable of being a manager, may require more support.
“It would be amiss of me to say that a standardised management training programme will fix the problem - not everyone is the same, and nor should we encourage that. Whilst theoretical training is important - people finding their own authentic style is far more crucial. In fact, mirroring behaviours can be a route to a toxic workplace culture – the ‘old boys club’ a prime example of this.
One thing that is vital but often overlooked is ‘transition’ coaching or mentoring – preparing a professional over a period of time to genuinely be able to ‘step into’ a management positionm” concluded Mr Bouckaert.
