Do You Train Supervisors to Be ‘Caring’?

From familiarizing supervisors with federal and state employment law to keeping them updated on the company’s policies and procedures, trainers must manage multiple training priorities—often on a limited budget.

It can be easy to overlook a “soft” topic, such as training supervisors and managers to demonstrate care for employees and to build positive relationships with them.

However, a recent survey found that having a “caring” manager is a crucial factor in whether employees are engaged. Trainers who recognize that, and take steps to educate supervisors and managers about it, can help drive employee engagement and their organization’s success.

The Dale Carnegie Training® survey identified employees’ relationships with their supervisors as a key factor in engagement.

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The survey found that if employees are “dissatisfied with their immediate supervisor, there is an 80 percent chance that they are disengaged” and that “having a ‘caring’ manager is one of the key elements to a positive and successful employee engagement strategy.”

Belief in senior leadership and pride in working for their company are also key factors that drive engagement, according to the survey of 1,500 employees conducted in February and April 2012.

In light of the survey findings, Dale Carnegie Training said it is important for supervisors and managers to make their employees feel valued and to demonstrate an interest in their personal lives, health, and well-being.

“Employee engagement rates are directly tied to feelings about interaction with their immediate supervisor,” Dale Carnegie Training reports.

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In fact, nearly half of employees who reported being satisfied with their direct manager were engaged.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of those who indicated they were very dissatisfied with their immediate supervisor were disengaged.

In addition, the survey found that disengaged employees are more likely to leave the company for a pay raise than are engaged employees.

For example, 26 percent of engaged employees indicated that they would be willing to leave their current position for a 5 percent pay raise, compared to 46 percent of partially engaged employees and 69 percent of disengaged employees, according to the survey.

Fifty-four percent of employees are engaged when they are under the impression that their manager cares about their personal lives, compared to only 17 percent of employees being engaged when they feel otherwise, the survey found.

What is the survey’s takeaway for training professionals?

During supervisory training, share statistics to demonstrate the importance of supervisors building a good rapport with their subordinates, and provide specific examples on how to accomplish that within your organization.

For more information, visit www.dalecarnegie.com.