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New expectations of managers
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New expectations of managers

Trust, active listening, making oneself available, a caring approach, leadership... The skills required of managers have needed to change with the crisis in order to meet employees’ new aspirations. Hence the requirement to adapt and train.
Trust, active listening, making oneself available, a caring approach, leadership... The skills required of managers have needed to change with the crisis in order to meet employees’ new aspirations. Hence the requirement to adapt and train.
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Managers recognise the new dynamic created during the pandemic. When the crisis first hit, from one day to the next, team leaders had to find ways to support their teams given that employees all found themselves working remotely.

 As the months went by, employees' expectations changed. Now as we adapt to a new normal, managers face different challenges and so they will undoubtedly have to acquire skills in pursuit of their business objectives. 

How should managers adapt?

1. Promote autonomy

Remote working led to a change in employees' expectations of their managers, with staff now demanding more autonomy and engagement. For these relationships to work successfully, trust had to be the driving force. Given this experience, employees will find it difficult to return to the previous way of working in the post-crisis professional environment.

2. Move away from micro-management

Managers need to be less controlling and be able to support teams by setting objectives that are clear, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited, both for individuals and collectives. In the jargon, these are called “S.M.A.R.T.” objectives. The manager can no longer micro-manage, supervising every move, and thereby exerting permanent pressure on team members. 

3. Become a facilitator

As the guarantor of the team's objectives, but also of the company's values which they have to embody, the manager must position themself as a facilitator. By creating the right conditions for employees, individually and collectively, they are able to give their best.

Employees now expect support from management. Thus it is necessary to be more attentive, to be able to anticipate problems, to smooth out tensions with the goal of achieving optimal levels of cooperation.

4. Establish a hybrid working framework 

We are increasingly moving towards a hybrid way of working, with part of the team in the office and the other part working remotely. It must be made as easy as possible for people to cooperate with each other. While employees must be guaranteed more flexibility, it is not a question of being overly permissive. There must be clear common rules, established with regard to the objectives sought, with everyone sticking to these requirements. It is not up to the managers to adapt to the employees, but rather the opposite. The challenge is to find the right balance.