According to a recent research conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and Investors in people, and funded by the HSE, stated that in cases where the employees rated the abilities of their line managers and gave them feedback, this feedback helped resolve employee employer conflict and improve workplace behaviour. The research paper was presented by the Institute at the annual conference of the Division of Occupational Behaviour of the British Psychological Society.
In this research, nearly 150 managers were asked to rate themselves while 500 employees were asked to rate their managers on their management abilities. The premise of the research was that the manager-employee relationship was the root cause of stress at workplace. After the ratings were received, the managers were divided into two groups. One group was informed about the ratings and given adequate training on how to improve their management abilities. The second group, on the other hand, was not given any feedback.
Researchers found that the managers who had received feedback went back and performed better by changing their management styles to ensure lower stress at workplace. However, the managers who did not receive any feedback went about their duties in the same manner as before. This prompted the researchers to conclude that feedback regarding management abilities and problems help in improving stressful situations at workplace.
Researchers have defined effective workplace behaviour as to include the following, namely,
Ability to manage emotions and maintain integrity
Ability to communicate and manage work in both the present and future
Displaying empathy towards team members
Managing conflict with ease
It is pertinent to note that this research has prompted the HSE to create tools and learning materials for both employers and employees. Ms. Donaldson-Feilder and her colleagues are known to be creating such tools and the same will be available on the HSE website.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people; Workplace Law Training is approved to offer programmes that meet the standards for Associate membership of the CIPD. Contact the experts there to find out about the range of accredited CIPD Courses, which can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper HR procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.