Effective Practices: Front-Line Manager Engagement

With the proliferation of incentive, reward, recognition programs and platforms, it’s more important than ever to focus on effective design, implementation, measurement, reporting, and continuous improvement. This article is part of a series providing managers throughout the world with checklists on effective practices in all areas of engagement across the enterprise.

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It is often said that a bad boss is the No. 1 reason most people quit their jobs. In fact, surveys generally support this 2022 McKinsey study finds that people actually leave for multiple reasons, including lack of career development; insufficient pay; uncaring, uninspiring leaders; lack of interesting work; unsustainable work expectations; unreliable, unsupportive colleagues; lack of flexibility, and lack of support for well-being.  While front line managers cannot address all these issues, they can help organizations identify the risk factors, the employees most affected, and potential solutions.     
 
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Overview. Many organizations offer employee recognition programs but overlook the most important people required for success: front-line managers. Potentially because these programs are designed to put the spotlight on their employees, front-line managers commonly receive their own separate performance appraisal, compensation, bonus programs, often removed from the employee program. In fact, if you wish to get the best from your employee recognition programs, include the front-line managers as well.
 
To maximize sustainable engagement in a manner that creates value for the organization, the goal is to harmonize the interests of everyone on the team toward a common purpose, goals, objectives and values, either of the organization or the team. Instead of segregating front-line managers from the effort, the most effective programs fully involve managers to help make sure employees have the support they need and that valuable talent doesn’t leave for one of the key other reasons cited by the McKinsey report.
 
The first step is to involve the front-line managers, or at least a select group of them, in all aspects of program design and award selection. Few are better equipped to predict how employees will react than their direct managers. The idea is to get the interests of everyone aligned toward the same purpose, goals, and objectives to create a common mission. Because many recognition programs are moving toward values-or behaviors-based reinforcement (such as referrals or valuable ideas) rather than simply length of service or attendance, it makes sense to recognize the managers in part for the performance of their teams.
 
What follows is a quick step-by-step approach to creating an effective recognition program for front-line managers designed to enhance the performance of the entire team.
 
Key opportunity. While it makes sense to recognize front-line managers for team performance, another way for managers to create value is to help identify organizational, team, or individual factors putting talent at risk, such as those factors outlined in the McKinsey report. 
 
1. Be Strategic—Have a Formal Plan

• Consider hiring an expert with experience in employee engagement who can learn and understand your business. Check their qualifications; ask questions about their program design and approach to measurement. Here is a quick how-to guide to select an expert advisor.
• Involve select front-line managers and employees in planning the program to identify risks and to encourage buy-in. Encourage employees to speak up.
• Identify technology needs: do you have a recognition or other platform for communicating news, success stories, information, employee voice, gamification, social and tangible recognition, and rewards for success?
• Establish a clear purpose, goals, objectives for the effort consistent with your organization’s values, with measurable goals and objectives, financial or otherwise.
• Make sure to recognize the top 20% but don’t forget the middle-60% of your managers and employees whose efforts to improve also should be recognized.
• Know your audience: What will move whom to put in that extra effort to pay attention and focus on the goals, behaviors, or values being promoted.
• Subject your plan to the "Judo-flip"--what could go wrong? how could the program be gamed?
• Get CEO buy-in if possible by having him or her participate in communications and in person meetings.
• Make sure your plan includes all the training, communications and other tools to make it easy for front-line managers to make it fun and meaningful. 

2. Establish Transparent Measures With ROI

• Include both quantitative and qualitative goals and measures related to the purpose, goals, and objectives of the effort. Is it to promote retention, referrals, proactive efforts to help colleagues or enhance job design, enhance safety and sustainability awareness, or engagement in training? The key is to keep it simple with about one key result measure and two others tracking how well people are engaging in the tools offered to help.
• Do everything possible to establish the value of incremental performance to your organization in terms of dollars or impact, so you can calculate how much of the incremental gains to share.
• Measures can include retention, referrals, participation in and results of training; meaningful ideas, many of which do have a financial benefit. For instance, it doesn’t generally take a complex analysis to determine at least a thumbnail for the value of time-savings, retention, or customer-satisfaction.  Front-line managers can be recognized using the same platforms and awards as for employees, (See Effective Practices: Employee Recognition), as well as by the results of their teams. In addition, front-line managers can receive recognition for identifying specific factors outlined in the McKinsey study that HR needs to address either individually or collectively that could affect overall organizational effectiveness. 

3. Establish the Budget

• After determining the potential return on investment, set a fixed budget for communications, training, and technology, if any, required to support the program.
• Otherwise, the rewards should be paid out of incremental performance. In other words, if people do not achieve specific goals or demonstrate the actions and values being promoted, no tangible rewards are given. 

4. Distinquish Rewards From Compensation

• Involve managers and employees in identifying rewards that will have the greatest impact, meaning and that are buzz-worthy, i.e., they tell a story about your own brand. Involve significant others in your thinking. Customize as much as possible the reward selection and the method of presentation to reflect the individuals’ preferred methods of appreciation. It's a red flag if people aren’t redeeming rewards. 

5. Have a Clear Communications Plan

• Use your communication, incentive, or recognition platform to regularly provide information and to get feedback from employees, including: case studies of success stories; profiles of employees; concise how-to articles—anything to help enhance performance. You can use standing reports when appropriate. 

6. Continually Monitor the Effort

• Regularly analyze quantitative versus qualitative goals and use of the platform. Look for regional or other differences correlated with use of the engagement app and the front-line manager.

7.  Carefully Evaluate Results

• Compare quantitative with qualitative results and engagement app usage to find trends.
• Regroup with the planning team to evaluate the impact and what can be improved going forward.

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