Analysis | Devolving HR management to people managers

Line managers now play an increasing role in influencing outcomes such as effort, commitment, cooperation, productivity and inclusivity through the devolvement of HR practices (Kurdi-Nakra and Pak, 2022; López‐Cotarelo, 2018). In the CIPD’s People Profession 2023: UK and Ireland report, the majority of people teams surveyed said they delegate recruitment (75% UK; 53% Ireland), absence management (66% UK; 55% Ireland), learning and development (57% UK; 51% Ireland) and conflict management activities (54% UK; 47% Ireland) (Figure 1).

Figure 1: HR tasks that are delegated to line managers

Despite a high level of HR devolution within UK businesses, the current level of devolvement is consistently highlighted as an area of concern and frustration from both managers and people professionals. Research highlights multiple factors limiting managers’ ability to implement good people management, including, a lack of capacity, training, support and power (Learning at work 2023; Hutchinson and Purcell, 2007; Marchington, 2015). Insights from CIPD members suggest that poor people management skills are leading to increases in conflict and grievances within teams which can negatively impact employee commitment and productivity long-term.

To reduce the risk of poor people management practice, what steps can managers and people teams take to promote effective collaboration? CIPD research with the University of Leeds explored the perspectives of 56 line managers on the key challenges and practical implications for people professionals within four commonly devolved areas:

1. recruitment
2. absence management
3. learning and development and
4. conflict management. 

Creating effective recruitment processes

All line managers interviewed had some form of involvement in the recruitment process, but the extent of involvement varied among participants. In line with Figure 1, most managers were involved in interviewing candidates, whereas posting job adverts was more likely among managers working in smaller organisations.

Key challenges cited by line managers

• Level of involvement and decision-making power 
  We heard that many line managers wanted greater power and influence over the decision-making stage of the recruitment process. For example, having more input over the number of interview stages candidates went through, the design of interview tasks at different stages and having a greater say on final recruitment decisions. 
  
  Managers who had a greater level of involvement expressed higher levels of satisfaction about recruitment outcomes and results: “I’m managing the staff member day-to-day so I wanted more involvement. [Senior managers] didn’t want to give me [more involvement], but things have changed and now [recruitment] is working well…”.
• Feedback and improvement mechanisms 
  Some managers had suggestions on how to improve recruitment processes, but felt their organisation lacked effective channels to provide and action feedback. Examples included managers who had gathered and shared feedback on the organisation’s recruitment methods but felt their feedback was used ineffectively or was not properly recognised.
• Fairness in recruitment practices
  Technology offers a range of opportunities for recruiters and candidates. For example, online interviews can provide enhanced convenience, while overcoming geographical boundaries and saving costs. Online job platforms offer real-time flexibility, allowing job searches and applications from anywhere at any time. However, line managers raised concerns about the use and implications of technologies (eg AI, social media), particularly around privacy issues and bias. 

Improving work allocation, scheduling and absence management

The managers interviewed usually had work allocation and scheduling responsibilities, but their discretion in implementing these practices were shaped by organisational policies, performance targets and available resources. In line with Figure 1, most managers were responsible for sickness/absence management, but they had varying levels of influence when dealing with the individual circumstances of their team members.

Key challenges cited by line managers

• Job design and workloads
  Excessive workloads were raised repeatedly as an ongoing issue, suggesting that good job design and raising awareness of unhealthy working behaviours and culture are necessary. Increased workloads were cited as a source of job-related stress which could lead to short or long-term absence that managers are then expected to manage. Managers often felt they lacked the training and support to deal with individual circumstances when team members approached them to discuss wellbeing and mental health issues. 
• Hybrid working and presenteeism behaviours 
  Managers cited the difficulty of managing staff who overworked or frequently avoided taking sick leave, particularly with the rise in remote working: “Now staff can say to themselves ‘I’m not well enough to go into the office, so I’ll work from home to avoid taking sick leave’- it’s harder for me to manage and recognise this… I’m probably more cautious than other line managers about staff working when ill because in the past I became very ill from overworking and being determined to push through when I wasn’t right.”
  
  However, managers who could work remotely also highlighted how hybrid working had enhanced the autonomy, work-life balance and productivity of their team.
• Juggling operational targets with flexible working options
  Several line managers thought flexible working practices could help with absence management and reducing stress, but also said that they need more support to implement these practices properly: “I’ll be honest, I’m just not sure how flexible working could work…I usually need a set number of workers on shift for operations to run… Maybe if my manager gave me more staff and leeway with targets, we could look into it….”.

Enhancing learning and personal development of teams

We found that managers had varying degrees of involvement in the skill development of their team members. This can include overseeing the development and learning needs of their team, suggesting internal or external training courses and delivering informal or formal training themselves.

Key challenges cited by line managers

• Use of the appraisal process
  Managers said that appraisal processes are often designed to prioritise employee performance, rather than personal development and support needs. 
• Lack of time and resourcing
  Managers raised concerns that tight resourcing and work pressures mean employees lack the time and space to engage with learning and development in a meaningful way. For example, some managers suggested that cross-functional development could make flexible working opportunities more feasible, but noted incentives or rewards were a key issue: “If we upskill people, it offers them some career development and means we have a higher skilled workforce but they need to be rewarded for this.”
• Skills gaps
  The pace of digital transformation is creating more learning needs and skills gaps which requires time and employee incentives: “New technology is impacting workers at all levels, it’s not just people new to the job. I need to become familiar with new technology and support workers to use it, including workers who are not keen… it takes time for everyone.”

Ensuring successful conflict management

We found that all line managers were expected to deal with conflict, but they often said that they lacked guidance and support to manage it effectively.

Key challenges noted by line managers

• Lack of training and guidance
  Most managers had not undertaken any conflict management training or engaged in development opportunities that specifically focused on conflict management. Some felt their employer wanted to downplay the significance of day-to-day conflict and said that a different organisational approach was needed.
  
  Identifying conflict within their team was a challenge discussed by managers with their workload and a lack of guidance being key inhibiting factors: “There was conflict in my team between a few individuals, but I didn’t know about it for [a] while, things were happening within and outside work so it was very complicated. It would have been useful to have support around how to recognise conflict, people don’t necessarily want to speak up. More time to have 1-to-1 meetings would also help.”
• Dealing with conflict informally
  Most managers were aware of formal grievance procedures, but they had knowledge gaps around dealing with conflict informally: “There was conflict within my team, I thought it would go away naturally, but it didn’t and it ended up becoming a major issue that was resolved in the end. But since then, I’ve learnt that I need to deal with any sign of conflict early, ideally informally, or it will become ten times more difficult to resolve.”
  
  Managers who were more confident in conflict management emphasised that dealing with conflict informally and early helps maintain trust within the relationship. This was also relevant in unionised contexts where some managers said they have disagreements with the union representative, but that they can usually deal with local issues informally without triggering a formal procedure. 

Key takeaways for supporting and developing managers

• Greater investment in managers is crucial to enable more sustainable people management that drives employee investment in their role and team cohesion.
• Key development needs for managers include managing the health and wellbeing of their team, conflict management and how to effectively address individuals’ learning needs. 
• General support for managers should include a reasonable span of control over the number of direct reports, discretion to deal with different contexts, a reasonable workload to carry out people management responsibilities, with adequate incentives provided for good people managers (see People Profession 2023).
• People professionals can act as the conduit between line managers and senior leaders, challenging senior management decisions where necessary and gathering quality feedback data to champion the needs of line managers and workers.
• Importantly, senior leaders should share power and influence with people professionals and line managers so that they can collaboratively address the needs of employees, managers and the organisation as a whole, while recognising that conflict is inevitable.

Explore CIPD resources to further support you in your approach to people management.