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With many employees working remotely for the first time, there was much speculation on the effect this would have on employee productivity. Our findings underline the importance of workplace relationships based on trust to support a productive workforce.
Management Transformed: Managing in a Marathon Crisis is a CMI research project exploring the extraordinary challenges and new ways of working that emerged in 2020.
In August 2020, CMI polled nearly 2,300 senior leaders, managers and employees to understand their experience of managing during the pandemic.
The headlines from our findings around productivity and trust were:
You can find more detail on these findings below.
The research underpinning this study was conducted when management was on ‘high alert’, and managers’ capabilities were under unprecedented pressure and scrutiny. That makes this snapshot particularly powerful.
Trust & Productivity
Communication & Wellbeing
Culture & Employee Engagement
Diversity & Inclusion
For each theme, the report sets out the practical steps that aspiring managers, middle managers and senior leaders should take, to learn from the experience of this marathon crisis.
Because after all, we know the future success of UK businesses will depend on how managers and leaders step up to the next set of challenges.
Read the report to see what you can learn today.
View Report Online Download Report
Here we unpack some of the report’s key data insights and the experience of practicing managers.
Covid-19 led to a previously inconceivable large-scale move to remote working - 48% of UK employees now work remotely or in a hybrid way. But our data shows productivity is not about place - at least not the physical workplace - and concerns about where your staff work driving up or reducing productivity appear unfounded. 41% of managers said direct reports had increased their productivity - broadly the same regardless of workplace settings.
If you're working remotely and want to keep up with your CPD, check out CMI Bitesize - our new, innovative series of practical online programmes which cater to the growing demand for micro-learning.
Instead, the secret to improved productivity is trust. Where managers trust their direct reports, they find that productivity rises. Where managers say they don’t trust their direct reports, they were more likely to say that staff are less productive. Positively, most of those we surveyed reported high trust levels between managers and direct reports.
To explore this further, you may like to check out Ann Francke OBE’s Better Managers Briefing with the FT’s Andrew Hill where they discussed trust and Management Transformed - you can watch the webinar online, or read Ann’s blog on the briefing.
Managers play a key role in building workplace trust and are therefore critical to ensuring the productivity of teams, wherever they are based. A manager’s role is becoming ever more critical in this new world: 85% of those we surveyed say their managers will be more or as important in the future world of work.
Are you ready for the future? Take a look at the opportunities for education and learning that CMI offers to supercharge your CPD. Looking for the ultimate professional accolade for managers? Read more about starting your journey to Chartered Manager status.
We have collated a number of resources to help you put into action the practical findings from Management Transformed around productivity and trust. You can find these below.
CMI Members have access to a wealth of CPD tools and resources, which equips you to deal with any professional challenge. Check out our different membership options, and find the one which suits your needs.
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