?Nearly three years into a global pandemic, people managers remain on the front lines of a tumultuous world of work. They are often the first to respond to the year’s biggest workplace issues as they address questions from their workers before HR gets involved—and good managers can have an outsized impact on employees’ sense of belonging and engagement with their co-workers.
As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at our top-read articles for people managers in 2022.
How to Retain Employees During the Great Resignation
The Great Resignation, which made waves in 2021 and continued its course in 2022, put a sharp focus on people managers’ role in retaining top talent. After all, the phenomenon might be better described as the Great Self-Evaluation—as workers re-assess their relationships with their workplaces amid a hot job market. Management professionals offer these tips to help keep valued workers on board.
People managers were not immune to the self-evaluation, however. According to a 2022 report, managers have struggled with burnout, and many have headed for the exits this year.
5 Ways People Managers Can Help Stressed Remote and Hybrid Workers
With employee stress levels at all-time highs, managers must model positive behaviors to keep workers happy and productive. This is especially true in fully remote or hybrid work environments, where workers may feel less connected and more exhausted. From taking sick—or “sad”—days off when needed to setting boundaries around when to respond to e-mails, managers can follow this guidance to create a less stressful workplace.
Camera-Shy: What to Do About Employees Who Disengage on Zoom
Remote work and video calls have exploded over the past few years, primarily due to COVID-19 restrictions that forced millions of career professionals to work from home. Yet not everyone is on board with showing their faces on video workplace meetings—and some managers don’t like it when staffers click the “video off” button. Managers who want to see team members’ faces on virtual meetings should take the following steps to get workers to go from “camera off” to “camera on.”
Viewpoint: What Great Remote Managers Do Differently
Managing a fully remote or hybrid workforce can be challenging for even the most experienced people managers, but it’s clear that remote work is here to stay. Managers must move from micromanagement—heavy managerial meddling that undermines trust—to micro-understanding, writes Raghu Krishnamoorthy, a senior fellow and director of University of Pennsylvania’s acclaimed Chief Learning Officer doctoral program.
Why You Should Welcome Back Boomerang Employees
In today’s tough job market, no manager wants to see good employees leave, but with voluntary job separations reaching all-time highs, resignations are commonplace. Companies may consider tapping into a growing source of candidates: boomerangs, or employees who return after leaving a company.
How to Run a 15-Minute Meeting
Few people like workplace meetings, from the summer intern right up to the boardroom elite. Case in point: Billionaire Mark Cuban once told Inc. magazine, “The only way you’re getting me for a meeting is if you’re writing me a check.” How can managers spend less time in back-to-back meetings? Business experts say the 15-minute meeting curbs employee burnout and boosts engagement, especially now that so many companies are operating in hybrid or fully remote mode.
