The 9 key areas your managers need training on

April 16, 2020

Managers come into their positions from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. Management training enables organizations to bridge some of those gaps as well as provides critical continuing learning opportunities for all supervisors.

Because leadership roles involve so many facets, companies sometimes struggle with what exactly to cover in managerial training. Here, we have broken down the vast subject into nine important areas that management training should cover:

Employment law (basic training)

The goal here is not to turn managers into lawyers. Rather, management training in this area should provide a solid base of knowledge so that situations do not venture into questionable legal territory. Federal employment laws important for supervisors to know the basics of how to comply with include:

Job discrimination
Overtime/minimum wage
Family leave
Age discrimination
Disability discrimination
Military leave
Gender pay differences
Workplace safety
Pregnancy discrimination
Immigration

Employee lawsuit risks

The best way to stop an employee lawsuit is to prevent one from ever beginning. Simple management mistakes and perceived slights start the snowball of discontent rolling downhill toward the courtroom. Supervisor training needs to focus on avoidance of actions that could potentially harm an organization’s credibility in court. These might include:

Sloppy documentation
Unfamiliarity with company policies and procedures
Inflated appraisals (and later trying to cite poor performance as justification for demotion or termination)
Shrugging off complaints or turning a blind eye on negative situations
Interview errors (especially asking personal questions or anything unrelated to the job)
Being rude and mean-spirited

Hiring and interviewing

Building an effective staff starts with finding great talent. Increase the odds of selecting people who prove a good match for your organization’s needs and goals through managerial training offering guidance on topics such as:

Creating job ads that get at the heart of what you are looking for
Asking effective interview questions
Keeping interviews on track
Learning how to market the position and company to the best applicants
Verifying credentials and references
Spotting liars
Evaluating body language
Listening to candidates rather than monopolizing conversation
Watching for red flags such as tardiness to the interview, a history of job hopping, rudeness to staff, and an exceptional interest in money rather than the duties of the position

Performance reviews

Managers often dread these annual evaluations. But regular, organized feedback provides recognition of employee strengths and guidance on how to improve. The documentation also serves as a point of reference when making decisions regarding promotions and terminations. Management training should include subjects such as:

Setting the right atmosphere
Focusing on facts rather than opinion (as in “records show you are late at least twice a week” instead of “you are a slacker who can’t make it to work on time”)
Providing detailed ways to make improvements
Maintaining performance logs to simplify filling out evaluations
Evaluating intangible characteristics such as “initiative” and “cooperativeness”
Keeping consistent standards for all employees
Motivating workers to make changes

Communication

Surveys show that workers consistently rank “communication skills” as one of the top necessities for being a good boss. Supervisor training in this essential area involves actions such as:

Honing listening skills
Paying attention to non-verbal cues
Confirming understanding through asking questions or paraphrasing information
Establishing clear expectations
Noticing subtle signals of worker discontent
Recognizing effort and achievement
Confronting poor performers
Offering timely, specific feedback
Helping employees accept workplace changes
Checking in with new employees to help them adjust

Coaching and motivating

Just as a coach leads an athlete to better performance, a manager needs the ability to get the best out of individual workers and the team as a whole. Successful coaching sessions can help a poor performer turn his act around or an outstanding employee reach an even higher height. Supervisor training on coaching and motivating often involves learning how to:

Ask appropriate questions that get at the employee’s perspective
Set goals that are clear, measurable, and obtainable
Deal with attitude problems
Identify disengagement and reverse it
Handle employees with personal problems
Encourage different generations to work in harmony
Light a spark beneath underachievers

Management skills

As the people who oversee teams, both the company and staff members look to managers to direct in an effective, productive manner. Developing leaders who guide individuals and groups to greatness involves managerial training on things such as:

Handling small problems before they become large ones
Mastering organizational and time management techniques
Delegating tasks
Securing the appropriate resources for people to do their jobs
Holding people accountable for their work
Documenting employee actions and behavior
Treating everyone fairly and managing without bias
Decision-making
Passing along information
Developing trust
Avoiding micromanagement

Managing difficult situations

Uncomfortable situations arise in any workplace. And while it may not be a supervisor’s favorite part of the job, a manager must take steps to end conflicts, restore order, and handle tough circumstances. Management training in this area revolves around topics such as:

Confronting problems head-on
Identifying sources of conflict
Strategizing solutions to clashes
Gaining compliance from stubborn employees
Calming angry staff members
Dealing tactfully with a worker’s personal problem, such as substance abuse or illness

Terminations

A final area crucial to management training (and, unfortunately, another less-pleasant aspect of being a leader) is knowing when to cut ties with a worker whose continued employment is not in the company’s best interest. Managers also need to examine when an employee leaves the company of his own accord. Reasons for departure offer insight that may prove helpful to future hiring and retention efforts. Management training regarding involuntary and voluntary departure should center on issues including: