Highlights – 24 September

When backed by today’s technology, the drive for productivity can easily tip over into spying – and managers aren’t happy about it. New CMI research has revealed that a third of UK employers are using ‘bossware’ to track workers’ activity online. When The Guardian picked up the story, it also flagged our finding that 42% of managers oppose using the technology, mostly because it undermines trust. 

“If it is being used, it is incredibly important employers are open, otherwise that’s going to cause significant problems in terms of data privacy and protection,” said Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of policy and external affairs.

We didn’t need advanced surveillance tools to see our research rippling across the UK media. The Times reported that trust and respect achieve more than spyware. Metro shared five telltale signs of a snooping boss. And People Management stressed how these tools have come to prominence since the pandemic – because remote working has made it harder to supervise in person.

Bridging the age gap

If you’re worried about hitting targets, one alternative to surveillance is to employ a good spread of talent. In her latest column for The Times, Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI, our chief executive, explained that a multi-generational workforce creates a huge competitive advantage. The goal isn’t to pick between age groups, she wrote. It’s about blending younger people’s embrace of new tools and tech with older people’s “mountain of knowledge and experience”. 

Another stellar idea: invest in leadership development. In its article on career ‘power moves’ people can make before the end of the year, Forbes recommends CMI for its short, widely recognised leadership and management courses. 

Professional development remains powerful even when you reach the boardroom. In this week’s newsletter, we hear from Joann Robertson CMgr FCMI, a seasoned manager in the defence sector who’s currently pursuing her CMI Level 8 Certificate in Strategic Direction and Leadership. 

We also spoke to Laura Fenton, who gained a Level 3 qualification while juggling childcare, sleepless nights and a house move. “To progress in your career, a management apprenticeship is the best way forward,” she told us. 

Inspired? If you are 22 or over, register for a Level 7 apprenticeship before January 2026 to make the most of government funding. 

On a mission for growth

While we’re on the subject of professional development, CMI recently hosted a roundtable with the UK’s Skills Minister, the Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, along with Skills England and 12 UK Chartered bodies. The aim was to show how chartered bodies can play a key role in driving the government’s Industrial Strategy, designed to create a highly skilled, high-productivity workforce that can deliver long-term growth. 

Chartered bodies seem the perfect fit. Organisations with Chartered Managers have reported a 25-30% improvement in productivity, while supporting continuous development, promoting ethical behaviour and broadening people’s professional networks. Professionals with chartered status, especially those in their early-to-mid careers, have also been found to command an annual wage premium of £8k-15k.

“Leaning on the existing skills and expertise of Chartered bodies offers the government an opportunity to deliver on its growth mission, while also improving social mobility and ensuring that increased prosperity reaches every corner of the country,” said Ann Francke OBE CMgr CCMI.

Make your mark

Ever find yourself struggling to keep your people together in a world that seems to want to pull them apart? When Business Quarter published a piece on political polarisation at work, it cited a CMI poll from last year. It found that almost half of managers have witnessed political disagreements, causing a quarter of those stress as a result.

If you’re a frontline manager, it may be down to you to put that right. An article in The People Space argued that frontline managers, not CEOs, are the primary drivers of culture and performance. Yet the article also cited CMI’s research paper, Taking Responsibility – Why UK plc needs better managers, which found 82% of first-time managers lack formal training.

This week’s newsletter may help your confidence. We offer tips for becoming a high-impact manager, from accepting vulnerability to fulfilling people’s need for connection. 

And if you need help getting your point of view across, we also feature an edited extract from Isobel Rimmer’s new book, Present with Presence: Everything you need to plan, prepare and deliver with impact in any situation. The more you understand your audience, she writes, the better your message will land.

Here’s to making connections – more than monitoring keystrokes. 

Best,

Matt Roberts CMgr FCMI

Director of membership and professional development, CMI