Why Management Training is Crucial for SMEs

According to specialist HR Consultants at Reality HR, when it comes to managing human resources, the lack of knowledge and training of managers often affects businesses financially and functionally.

When you invest in management training for your SME, not only will your managers be trained in how to support the HR function, but they will also pick up some additional skills which are transferable to other areas of your business, this includes empathy and organisational and decision-making skills.

Implementing quality training will make employees feel more integrated as a team and increase motivation levels, resulting in a better performing team. It can even benefit your business financially as the more knowledge and management training your team has, the better they are at understanding how to deal with any HR-related issues, reducing claims and any potential legal fees.

Types of management training available to SMEs

There are several different training options you can utilize when it comes to training your management team. The training course you opt for will depend on your circumstances and your current HR need:

Management training: Specifically aimed to help new managers understand their roles and responsibilities as managers, this training combines leadership and line manager training to encourage team working and increase motivation.

Recruitment: Your management team may benefit from employment training when it comes to hiring new staff, especially if you're going through a growth period. This will usually cover diversity and equality and what is considered discrimination when expanding your workforce. This includes how to conduct proper inductions and manage the probation period for new employees.

Performance: Your employee's performance can be affected by management techniques. Training your management can help them to identify under-performing team members and look at ways to improve their performance. This includes one-to-ones and appraisals, they allow you to review your employee’s performance and implement goal setting targets to keep staff motivated. Performance can also be affected by poor mental health, which is why this is now a popular training course for managers helping them recognize when team members or colleagues may require help, as well as how to support them.

Disciplinary: This can often be quite a difficult task, but training in this area will show managers how to conduct thorough investigations for disciplinary or grievance issues. This type of training will teach managers how to be compliant with the ACAS code of practice and show them the difference between misconduct and gross misconduct.

Communication: It's important to know how to communicate effectively, this improves engagement and helps managers give feedback to their teams. This training will help with assertiveness and influence employees, as well as delegating work to their team members.

Problem-solving: As a manager, solving problems and making decisions are daily occurrences. HR Training will help managers with how they approach problems and understanding what they can do to solve them. This will help make managers more competent in their decision making and develop them into a trusted-go-to source when employees need answers and solutions.

Employee engagement: HR training can show managers how to implement an employee engagement plan and how to run workshops with their colleagues. This helps managers understand how employees view the company and what they can do to improve it. As a result, your employees will feel listened to, making them happier and more likely to commit to your business. This not only improves retention rates but also saves money on recruitment.

Compliance: Legal and compliance is arguably one of the most important areas in HR training and is essential for managers to know if they are performing HR duties. HR training will cover Employment Law Fundamentals and Discrimination and the Equality Act. Training and knowledge in these areas will help managers understand what they need to do to keep the company compliant and fair.

In conclusion, HR Training is a cost-effective way to help manage your companies HR duties without having to employ an HR professional. However, if your employees don't have the time to take on HR responsibilities, you can always outsource your HR function to a specialist HR agency.

About the Author

Sally-Ann Hall-Jones is the CEO of Reality HR - an expert HR consultancy offering a full range of HR services, including regular day-to-day support, strategic consultancy, one-off project work, and a rapid response service for those challenging times when urgent support is required. Sally has been instrumental in Reality HR’s growth and success since she joined in 2008. She began her HR career working for one of Britain’s largest supermarket giants and then went on to work nationally and internationally across a range of sectors.