Department of Human Resources

The Role of the Manager an introduction

1

Contents
The role of the manager People management As a manager what responsibilities do I have? What does being a manager mean? Tools and resources 3 4 5

6 7

The role of a manager

There are managers in every profession it is not a standalone field. For those of us who become managers, we reach a stage in our career progression where we apply for roles which have management responsibilities. We then need to build our managerial experience and gain the knowledge and skills to enable us to carry out the role effectively. How we develop will vary and take many forms. We learn from role models and observing others, from our experiences on the job, from coaching (whether informal or formal), from training sessions and from the conversations we have with colleagues and our staff. However, there are two key points to remember:

As a manager, you are not on your own. You have your own support network, in particular the support from your own manager, peers and your staff. We offer support and advice as a HR team; develop policies and guidance to help you; provide formal opportunities for you to access training; and facilitate other opportunities for your development (such as this tool box). You should never feel that you cant ask for help or advice. There is no simple how to manage rulebook that you are somehow missing. You are not expected to know all the answers to questions you will face as a manager and, very often, there is not one answer. This is the most challenging but also the most rewarding aspect of managing others people will react differently in different situations and preparing yourself for this through gaining an understanding of your staff is crucial.

People management
In brief, if we think about the employment cycle, it covers the following areas:

Recruitment and selection

Workforce planning, role analysis, job redesign

Induction

Managing leavers: resignations, retirement, etc

Managing performance, attendance and well being

As a manager, you will be supporting staff at different stages of this cycle. Developing as an effective manager requires you to know what your responsibilities are: your level of authority, your level of accountability, the duties you are required to discharge as a manager and who is there to help you perform effectively. It also requires you to understand the organisation you work for, to understand the structure of the organisation, the mechanisms, the way it behaves and the reasons why it behaves in the way it does - the culture of the organisation.

As a manager, what responsibilities do I have?

As a University, we identify a number of responsibilities which are shared by all managers:

To communicate with staff. Managers take on an essential responsibility for communication. Particularly with the pace of change, it is more important than ever to keep employees informed of whats going on. In performing the informational role, managers are essentially two-way information conduits. Managers must keep employees informed of all things that affect their work and provide information to their organisation (and, often, outside their organisation) about what the team is doing. To undertake PDRs with staff. Through the PDR process, to engage in the setting of objectives in order to assist in the monitoring of performance and the development of the individual. To assess the training and development needs of staff to ensure that they are adequately supported in relation to their work responsibilities. Managers are also required to ensure that staff have completed the relevant mandatory training for their role. To ensure appropriate management systems and procedures are in place to meet your health and safety duties. You will find your responsibilities contained in the Universitys Health and Safety policy. You are required to ensure appropriate risk assessments are carried out in respect of significant hazards and safety inspections. To apply the Universitys Equal Opportunities Policy. Line managers are responsible for maintaining a working environment that is free of discrimination, harassment, victimisation and bullying. In applying the Universities Equal Opportunities Policy and associated training, line managers have an important role in ensuring that no person associated with MMU receives less favorable treatment on the grounds of: gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, social background or for any other identifiable discriminatory cause.

2 3 4 5

There will be other responsibilities for you dependent on your managerial level within the University. You should speak to your own manager if you need to clarify any of these.

What does being a manager mean?

What a manager does
motivates and works with others, helping them through coaching conversations to recognise approaches to take/identify solutions keeps their staff informed, gives explanations and reasons for actions/changes and asks for feedback and ideas sets priorities with staff, ensuring that they are clear on their responsibilities and the authority that they have to make decisions works not only with their employees, but also with peers and superiors, other employees and customers looks outwards, considering the needs of the wider team, the department and the University creates an environment where team members are listened to and respected and deals with conflict where necessary. creates a healthy and safe environment for their team.

What a manager does not

know all the answers (and should not feel that they have to!) use information as power (there may be occasions where discretion is necessary, but this power should not be abused) monitor each action staff take and micro manage work in isolation take a narrow approach which means that they and their team members cannot understand the wider fit across the University avoid issues in the team, in the hope that they will just go away. ignore or take unnecessary risks which endanger the health and safety of the team.

Tools and Resources

For further information, see:

HR Policies
MMUs policies to support managers. Many of these are supplemented by guidance on how the policies should be applied in practice. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/policy/

University Staff Development Programme

This includes information about the Management Essentials suite of training, which must be attended by managers and supervisors within the University. The Programme also includes the Universitys Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) programmes. These nationally recognised qualifications include an Award in First line management for those new to managing staff together with a Level 5 Certificate in Leadership for more experienced managers. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/devandtrain/

PDR documentation
This includes information about the Universitys PDR Scheme, guidance for reviewers and guidance for reviewees. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/devandtrain/

Health and Safety intranet site

This site contains the Universitys Health and Safety Policy and Safety Manual and various support tools for you and your staff. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/health/

Equal Opportunities intranet site

This site contains up-to-date information on the Universitys policy but also the action plans which are in place to support this. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/equalities/