The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) asked U.S. workers how ill—or well-equipped—their supervisor was to manage people. They also asked about the most important skills managers should develop, and how a better manager could improve their own performance as an individual contributor.
"There is no relationship in the workplace more powerful than the one between people managers and employees," said SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. in a statement. "As working Americans challenge organizations to manage and lead differently, those that don't will find themselves left behind."
Here are some key findings from the survey:
- 84% of American workers say poorly trained people managers create a lot of unnecessary work and stress;
- 57% of American workers say managers in their workplace could benefit from training on how to be a better people manager;
- Half (50%) feel their own performance would improve if their direct supervisor received additional training in people management;
- The top five skills people managers could improve, according to American workers, were: Communicating effectively (41%), developing and training the team (38%), managing time and delegating (37%), cultivating a positive and inclusive team culture (35%), and managing team performance (35%).
The survey is consistent with existing SHRM research; notably, its report from Q3 of 2019, The High Cost of a Toxic Workplace Culture, which found 1 in 4 American workers dread going to work, and estimated U.S. companies had lost $223 billion due to culture-caused turnover.
To help address these issues SHRM has launched a People Manager Qualification (PMQ), a new, interactive and evidence-based virtual learning program designed to help managers build the skills most needed to lead. The complete learning experience is self-paced and takes approximately 10 and 13 hours to complete, concluding with a final behavioral assessment.
