On the front line HR issues fill more of a manager's time

Being a front-line supervisor in a lean organization with the demands of a global economy and managing within complex labour legislation is no easy task. In fact, the job of front-line supervisor is a lot tougher than it ever was.

Front-line supervisors have been given a lot of responsibility these days. This includes being part of strategic planning, developing and managing budgets, overseeing quality management, process improvement and benchmarking. Much more attention is being paid to both internal and external customer relations, ensuring information systems are effective for each business unit and ensuring that your work goals and those of your staff are in continual alignment with the larger organizational strategies. And we haven't even mentioned human resources!

Yes, it's true, more and more human resource responsibilities are being devolved to front-line supervisors. And so, if you wish to become a successful front-line manager, then you need to develop both an understanding of the job and the skills to carry out these tasks effectively.

First of all, it is important to keep in mind that you are now more than an operational manager; you are also a people manager.

Being a people manager means you will be taking on responsibilities for employee recruitment and retention in your business unit, employee communication and coaching, performance appraisals, reward and recognition, scheduling and work/life balance, employee relations, grievance management, discipline and that dreaded function of termination.

While you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed when you first look at all of the activities involved in your new job, recognize that your role as front-line supervisor in people management is absolutely critical. It is you who brings HR policies and practices to life, it's you to whom people will come to for advice and guidance, and it's you who will be directing and guiding the work of your employees. Now that's influence!

The first step to developing your skills as a people manager dealing with the human resource issues in your business unit is to take a broad overview of what the current situation is and to identify challenges and priorities. Next, you need to start building your skills in human resources and you can do that both through hands-on experiential learning as well as formal coursework.

For our purposes, let's look at "on-the-job" learning that can go a long way to effectively dealing with the human resource issues that might come your way.

Understand the HR policies and procedures -- Since HR policies are most often written by senior managers, they may seem rather obscure and create a challenge for implementation. You need to clearly understand these policies and ensure you can effectively implement them. There is nothing more challenging than basing a supervisory decision on an incorrect policy interpretation. At the same time, you need to identify barriers and issues related to implementation so that changes and corrections can be made. And, if you don't know an answer to a policy question, check it out before you respond.

Build relationships -- Whether you are new to your business unit and/or have been promoted from within, it is important to build good working relationships with your team. Take time to meet people individually where possible, ask a lot of questions, and listen, listen, listen. Meet your HR manager and build a relationship with this person. They will be your adviser when you need help. Pay special attention to those individuals who were friends and close colleagues and now whom you supervise. Have a talk with them, make them feel comfortable and also help them to understand there will be some things in the future you just cannot share.

Support and build your team -- Your team members already know how to do their job, your role is to help them do it better. This might involve coaching and/or it might involve progressive discipline. Implement a problem-solving approach and involve team members in solving issues. This helps to build a participative organizational culture that will encourage high employee performance.

Be out there and accessible -- There is a tendency of new supervisors to hunker down in their office studying paperwork until they feel comfortable. My view is that you are better off to get out there and meet people, be open and accessible. Encourage people to come to you to discuss any issue or challenge as well as ideas for innovation and process improvement. Act on suggestions when you can and when it is not possible, at least give the individual some feedback.

Deal with problems sooner than later -- While you might find some of the people issues that arise in your work unit to be petty, these petty issues can quickly broaden to others and in fact, explode in your face. The longer you wait to deal with a problem, the worse it becomes and the further afield it spreads. Soon, you will have different employee camps that in turn will cause major divisions within your workforce. If conflict management is a challenge for you, go to the HR professional and/or a senior manager for guidance. Employee relations issues are the most frequent type of problems that will arise so accept this as a standard and learn how to deal with it. Be sure to keep your own emotions in check.

Be fair and consistent -- The best way to gain the trust of your employees is to be fair and consistent in everything you do. Help employees to understand why certain actions must be taken; while they may not like the direction you are taking, understanding goes a long way to getting employee buy-in. Avoid favouritism at all times, and deal with employee issues in a fair and consistent manner each and every time.

Acquire performance management coaching -- One of the most difficult HR areas a new supervisor has to deal with is applying the performance appraisal system. Meet your HR manager and/or senior manager and review how to set goals and objectives both for yourself and your team. Apply the SMART goal setting process; this means that goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and have a target date. If not, you can easily fall into subjective opinion as your key evaluation tool and someone will surely feel mistreated.

While much of human resources management is policy and procedure oriented, the front-line manager will be dealing mostly with employee-relations issues. Developing the skills to deal with these issues requires good problem-solving techniques, common sense and timely practical application of strategy and tactics. Be sure to plan your professional skills development program to take advantage of multiple means of learning, especially a good blend of learning by doing complimented by mentorship advice and academic programs.

Barbara J. Bowes, is president of Legacy Bowes Group, a leading HR and executive search firm. She is also author of three books and host of the weekly BowesKnows radio show. She can be reached at barb@legacybowes.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 19, 2009 G1