Role Of Line Manager & HR Manager - Week 14

The benefits & drawbacks of Line Managers being more involved in Human Relations activities are:

Benefits:

• The Line Manager provides staff with the link to higher management with a view to sorting out issues.

• As the Line Manager deals with the employee on a day to day basis he/she is more closer to own staff so may be aware of issues that the member of staff has e.g. problems at home.

• The Line Manager is better able to deal with day to day problems involving the member of staff e.g. lateness.

• The Line Manager provides a link to HR practices which the employee may not be aware of. For example an employee may be off sick for several weeks and then finds it difficult to come back to work full time following an operation. HR then become involved and allow the employee to gradually come back to work increasing their hours as they feel stronger and able to deal with their work. In cases like this the line manager can help to influence decisions taken by HR as he/she is aware that this employee works hard and does not take time off work due to sickness very often.

• The Line Manager has the technical knowledge of activities and working conditions of staff at local level which HR may not be aware of. For example this can help in a situation whereby the employee wishes to work part and the line manager is aware that this can be accommodated at a local level.

Drawbacks:

• The Line Manager is not a specialist in Human Relations.

• The Line Manager may not be aware of the culture of an organisation.

• The Line Manager may not know of the policies and procedures that the company has in place.

• The management style of the Line Manager may be such that he/she does not refer the member of staff to HR and believes issue can be dealt with at local level. This is so especially if the style of management is too controlling or autocratic.

• The relationship between HR & the Line Manager may not be good which could have negative impact on an individual as their issue may not be referred to HR by the line manager. (L.J Mullins, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 8th Edition 2007). "If HRM function is to be effective there has to be good team work and co-operation and consolidation between the Line Manager and HR Manager.

Skills Line Managers need to develop to effectively manage people:

Front Line Managers exercise strong influence over the level of discretion that an individual has over how they do their job. Line managers need self confidence and a strong sense of their own security within the organisation as this will influence whether or not the line managers can go on to lead high performing teams. The relationship that front line managers experience with their managers and with senior management generally influences their willingness to show discretionary behaviour in their own management activities. Front line managers are likely to display positive behaviour associated with high levels of performance from staff they manage if they feel they have:

1. Good working relationship with their own managers.

2. They are provided with good career opportunities and supported to progress their careers.

3. They experience a positive work-life balance.

4. They are allow to participate and feel involved in decision making.

5. There is an open organisational culture which allows them to air grievances or discuss personal issues.]

6. They are given a sense of job security.

7. They encourage people to be responsible for their own jobs whereas other managers can sometimes be too controlling or autocratic in their behaviour which can stifle the initiative of an individual.

Front Line Managers need to encourage discretionary behaviour from employees that is linked with high performance. This can be done through:

1) Building a good working relationship - If the manager has a good relationship with their staff this will encourage the staff to work harder for the employer and go out of their way to help in times of staff shortages and when projects need to be completed both quickly and efficiently. The manager needs to listen to the needs of their staff as the staff may be asked to complete an order that cannot possibly be finished without taking on additional help. If the manager arranges for additional help then staff are more likely to respond with loyalty and gratitude as they will think that their manager looks after them. The manager must be fair and respond to suggestions. If a manager is not fair to all his staff and does not respond to suggestions that the staff may have to improve productivity, this will cause problems in the workplace in the long term as staff will feel disadvantaged and not listened to. They will be more unlikely to want to work hard to achieve results.

2. Help & Support employees - To take more responsibility for how they do their jobs by coaching and guidance. It is important for the manager to give support to their staff through training & guidance. This helps the organisation in the long term because if staff are equipped to do their jobs well, they are will produce better results. This also make the staff feel that they have some level of responsibility over the work they do and this leads to good staff morale.

3. Build Effective Teams – Managers need to build effective teams and they can only do this through building a good relationship with all members of their team, listen to the needs and concerns of the individuals in that team. Managers need to encourage and support those individuals to reach their own potential as well as helping to achieve the overall targets of the business. A happy team is a productive team.

My line managers at work are developed through training programmes which leads to promotions. Reward systems are in place to motivate the managers to work harder to achieve results for which they receive money. Annual appraisals are carried out to see how further career developments can be achieved i.e. is further training necessary.

After researching the Prospects website for HR jobs, I feel my skills are more suited to role of Line Manager instead of HR manager because I enjoy working with people on a one to one basis. I like helping people which would be good as this helps to build effective teams which is necessary for success. I am good at communicating with people and this is neccessary for a line managers role.

Reference list:

The Role of Front Line Managers in HR [online]. Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed on 17 April 2010].

Prospects [online]. Available from: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi [Accessed on 17 April 2010].

(L.J Mullins, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 8th Edition 2007, FT Prentice Hall).