By Tracie M. Davis, MBA

We all see the memes on LinkedIn that say “People Leave Managers, Not Companies.” I am guilty of sharing those quotes every time I see one pop up on my screen. I’ve noticed many people agree with this statement, but there is very little information going around on how to be a better manager.

Of course, there is the famous “be a leader and not a dictator” meme going around but that only focuses on one aspect of employee engagement.

It’s always so easy to point the finger at what people are doing wrong but what are we going to do to support the managers that want to be good leaders but don’t know how?

Let’s face it, being a manager is NOT an easy job. I can say a lot of negative things towards those managers who believe that they know all the answers, but that’s not the focus of this piece.

I have seen many managers who have good intentions but don’t understand exactly how to execute effectively. The lack of understanding of how to properly manage causes them to have poor employee engagement which leads to the declining morale on their team.

These managers are struggling with the following:

• Trying to do such a great job that they can impress their boss

• Managing their increased workload and run their team successfully

• Properly handling employee relations issues

Not navigating through these concerns correctly can have a negative effect on not only the manager but their team as well.

So what can a manager do to increase employee engagement and reduce some of the stress?

1. Transparency- Managers need to be transparent. According to Edelman’s “Trust Barometer”, only one in three employees trust their employer. According to the survey, between 60-64% of Mid-level and Executives trust their company. Only 48% of entry level and non-manager employees trust their organization. As you can see, trust begins to diminish as the hierarchy decreases. Many employees trust their peers more than they trust leadership. I have noticed this to be the theme in many organizations. The survey suggests that upper management needs to focus on more than just profits. Leadership needs to be transparent and conduct themselves in a way where they will gain trust from employees. Being transparent doesn’t mean to tell employees confidential information that is not ready to be released, but it does mean to be more open about things that may have a direct influence on department or effect employees.

2. Visibility- Upper-level managers need to be visible to the employees. When managers have buried themselves away in their offices or off-site locations, they appear distant and inaccessible. Upper-level managers should take a few moments to have small talk with employees in the organization regardless of their hierarchy. When Executives are not visible, it’s hard for them to have their hand on the pulse of the company. Upper management can’t determine what their employees are feeling or experiencing if they are not around. Mid-level managers should also be visible and engaging with their employees. Training should be conducted teaching managers various techniques on how to engage and be available for employees.

3. Support- Many employees feel as if they have no support within their organizations. There are some employees hungry to get promoted, but they don’t know the steps to take to make this a reality. Some employees require training so that they can continue to grow and develop within their current role. Managers need to ensure that performance management is year round. Understanding what employees needs are and creating steps to help them to be successful is vital. Employees will feel as if they are being taken care of and in turn managers will be developing their team and closing gaps.

4. Delegate- Managers need to learn how to let go and allow their team to assist them. Many managers believe that they need to have their hands on everything and micromanage, so tasks are handled efficiently. Doing all the work yourself and not allowing your team to help shows that the manager has little faith in the abilities of their team members. Leaders need to trust their employees and begin to delegate some of their tasks out. Delegating tasks would elevate some of the stress and allow managers to teach new skills to their team. Having a strong team that works together is a great way to engage your employees.

5. Recognition- There are many ways to recognize your employees. The most effective way to let employees know that they are doing a great job is to tell them immediately. Don’t wait until weeks or months later to acknowledge the employee’s hard work during a recognition award. A simple “job well done” will go a long way. There are lots of managers who are great at providing immediate feedback, but there are still others who struggle with this. Recognizing an employee in real time will go far with boosting morale and engaging employees.

There are numerous of ways to increase employee engagement, but I believe that well-meaning managers should start off with these top five. Once the manager properly engages their employees, they will see an increase in employee morale and productivity which will lead to driving business success.

Tracie M. Davis is the Founder and CEO of Operation HR. From her corporate HR experiences, Tracie recognized that companies often struggle with identifying and retaining talent, as well as establishing HR and business practices that are interrelated. From this identified gap, Operation HR was formed.