How to Support Managers in Smaller Workplaces

Although managers are often the ones leading the way; being the support and acting as leadership; there are still times where they need assistance or a helping hand.

As such, this piece will explore the important ways that managers can feel supported by their team.

Working hierarchy

It’s worth stating that each workplace operates differently.

Take the hierarchy of your workplace into account as you’re working to achieving fairness throughout the company.

For instance, if your team is on the small side, and only has few managers below the CEO then the steps you take to ensure their wellbeing will be different to a larger company.

A larger company, for example, may have a line of managers where one reports to the other, and therefore, have a direct system of support.

Smaller Workplaces

While larger workplaces aren’t necessarily ‘better’ – they are different.

With a smaller workplace, there is the unfortunate opportunity for managers to feel isolated within their roles; especially, if they are the only ones within that role.

When we speak of a smaller workplace, we typically define that by businesses that boast of under 50 employees. Although that number is quite large, it still allows scope for a few managers who may feel quite isolated in their roles.

How to spot manager isolation

The first step to understanding this predicament is spotting it.

Isolation can take form in many ways, however, it won’t be discussed unless you create a healthy and open work environment.

Open discussion is one of the first steps to understanding the current state of your employees, their feelings, thoughts, and any instances that may have made them feel uncomfortable. If you’re not encouraging a healthy discourse, then this will only isolate them further into their role.

If you don’t feel as though they’ll approach you to speak, then a few steps you can take are:

• Observing their interactions with others
  If they seem to be unlike themselves: quiet, aloof, or not interacting with their colleagues, then this may be a sign of them distancing themselves or slipping into a state of depression.

• Are they still as passionate as before?

  A big sign of sadness in your employees is if they still seem as passionate as they once were about their job. If there seems to be a disconnect in their work or disinterest in what they do, they may be struggling with something personal and could do with assistance.

How to help

We’ve listed a few isolated instances that may take place if your employee is suffering, however, everyone copes with emotions differently.

Keep this in mind when approaching your employee.

The best way you can help with anything they’re suffering is through honest conversation. From here, you can hear them out, validate their emotions, and put in the next steps to fix the way they’re feeling.

That may be through hiring another member of staff to ease their stress, giving them time off to work through their issues, or putting them on a training course.

Either way, it’s important that the solution you offer is one that your manager wants to follow; if they’re uninterested, then it’s unlikely they’ll improve.

If you need any more assistance, head to the OH One website.