Today’s reality is that many companies are facing low or falling employee engagement. There is no single quick fix solution to this. Ensuring line managers are qualified and possess the right skill-set to ‘manage’ teams effectively is a good start though.

Line managers play such a crucial role in the success of any business. In many respects they hold the key to increased engagement and ultimately performance. If an employee feels well managed, they are far more likely to be engaged. And if they are engaged, they’ll be motivated to perform consistently at a high level.

The government-backed Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing project advocates fresh thinking on how managers are selected. The suggestion is that managers should be picked based on their social and interpersonal skills, not just technical skills.

Common sense you might think. All too often though, people are thrust into management positions because they are excellent technically but without the right skills and with little or no training. This is unfair – both on the newly-appointed manager and their subordinate employees.

Training future leaders on people management processes and techniques should begin in business schools and be carried on in the workplace. A renewed focus on up-skilling and empowering managers will benefit all concerned.