Sandra McCorgray, Director of Honeycomb Consulting offers some tips on developing confident and capable line managers to enable them to use HR policies effectively to improve business performance.

Seven ways to instil confidence in your managers to use HR policies
The role of HR is changing for everyone. In advice and guidance there is a shift towards devolving some HR responsibilities back to lie firmly with the business line managers. Making recruitment decisions, managing performance and absence and keeping track of holiday entitlements are all responsibilities which belong with the business line manager, not HR.

One of the blocks to effectively make this transition is the current capabilities and confidence of managers to use HR policies effectively. Changing the emphasis of the advice and guidance specialist role is one way to tackle this: becoming an ‘expert friend’ who helps manage the risk involved with the HR decision, rather than the decision-maker. For some, this may mean updating skills and trying a new approach.

Try some of the following tips to develop confident and capable line managers, in your business, who use HR policies effectively to improve business performance.

What can you do to instil confidence in your managers to use HR policies?
1. Train your managers
Let’s start with the most obvious. Sounds simple! However, I’ve met an unbelievable amount of managers who have never been trained in any aspect of HR and have been conducting appraisals for years. When designing and delivering training, don’t just talk about the policy! Build lively, engaging sessions that involve, energise and enable managers to practice skills with feedback from you as the expert.

2. Get yourself known
You may be wondering how this builds confidence in others but forging strong relationships and building your credibility are essential ingredients that allows the manager to trust you and come to you for advice and guidance when they need it. Look for opportunities to get out into the business and meet your customers. Get involved in the training: it’s a fantastic way to learn more about your managers, their challenges and their fears about using HR policies. If you can’t do this, then build rapport with your customers and find out more about them when you are talking to them over the telephone.

3. Involve managers in designing new processes and procedures
Managers are ultimately responsible for using new HR processes and procedures, so involve them in the design. Gaining feedback, insight and perspective from your customers ensures that processes are easy to use and customer focused, so that your managers can confidently use these once they are implemented.

4. Help them prepare
A lack of confidence can sometimes come from a lack of preparation. Ensure your managers are prepared to deal with disciplinary meetings or return to work interviews by coaching them in advance. Challenge them to consider how they will run the session, what evidence they may need, what sort of reaction they may get and how they will overcome any obstacles. If necessary, conduct a role-play with them to improve their confidence to run the meeting.

5. Foster self reliance
You’ve probably heard of the saying ‘Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime’. I once met an HR Director whose sign of success for HR was that they would not be needed anymore!

Don’t solve all of your managers’ problems for them. You are only teaching them to rely on you. Let them come up with some solutions of their own. You are still there to manage the risk.

A lot of managers do know the answers and are sometimes looking for reassurance or for HR to make the decision for them. Make them work harder: focus your managers to think for themselves, ask more questions, gain their views on how they might tackle the issue, ask them to consider the pros and cons of different solutions and where possible ensure they make the final decision.

6. Acknowledge their successes
When your managers are learning new skills and becoming more self-reliant in dealing with HR matters, give generous and genuine helpings of praise and feedback. Acknowledge their success, help them get perspective on a situation and see the positives.

7. Set and monitor goals
Tackling a disciplinary case or challenging situation can be daunting for any manager. Create enthusiasm and action in your manager by helping them visualise and set goals. Help them see what it will be like once this situation is resolved and what the benefits are for everyone. Breaking large tasks down into smaller chunks can make the situation less daunting. Set action plans with your managers to help them improve performance and monitor planned actions through regular meetings to provide ongoing support.

To access free resources on developing your coaching skills and creating a customer focused culture in HR, visit www.honeycombconsulting.co.uk