Managers often fail to take steps to improve the manager relationships driver for the following reasons:
- They don’t understand the impact they can have on engagement.
- They don’t understand the value of an engaged workforce.
- They don’t feel that they are responsible for engagement.
- They don’t know what steps they can personally take to improve engagement levels.
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Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Managers have a large impact on employee engagement and retention. According to McLean & Company’s engagement data, every 10% increase in the category “my manager inspires me to improve” resulted in a 4.15% increase in an employee’s intent to stay (N=113,245; 2017).
- To improve the manager relationships driver, managers cannot abdicate the responsibility of strengthening relationships with employees to HR – they must take the ownership role.
Impact and Result
- When an organization focuses on strengthening manager relationships with employees, HR should act as a facilitator and empower managers to own their impact.
- McLean & Company recommends starting with the three most important actions to improve employee trust and therefore engagement: inform employees of the why behind decisions, interact with them on a personal level, and involve them in decisions that affect them (also known as McLean & Company’s 3i model).
- Use this deck to prepare to train managers on how to apply the 3i model and improve the score on this engagement driver.
Workshop: Empower Managers to Take Ownership of Employee Engagement
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Prepare to Implement Manager Training
The Purpose
- Use McLean & Company’s advice to get past pain points with managers.
- Become familiar with the content in the training deck and ensure the provided examples are appropriate.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Logistics planned for your training session.
- Your case made more powerful by adding your own engagement data to the training deck slides.
- Improved delivery of training, making it more impactful and engaging for participants.
Activities
Outputs
Establish high-level training objectives.
- High-level objectives outlined
Set benchmark metrics and take baseline measurements.
- Benchmarks and baselines set to make the case for manager-driven engagement
Review content and customize training material.
- Become familiar with and prepared to take managers through key training exercises
Plan out training material.
- Deliver a smooth and successful training session
Module 2: Follow Up After Training
The Purpose
- Determine ways to track the impact the training has on employee engagement.
- Understand how to apply the 3i’s principle across HR functions.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Measured the value of engagement training.
- Received immediate feedback on employee engagement with the McLean Employee Experience Monitor.
- Determined how HR can support managers in building stronger relationships with employees.
Activities
Outputs
Prepare to follow up on managerial behavioral change and impact on the business.
- A plan to follow up on training and ensure success
Develop an Engagement Program Strategy
Analyze and Act on Employee Engagement Data
Develop an Employee Listening Strategy
New Hire Survey Guide
Flow State: A Gateway to Engagement, Performance, and Productivity
Exit Survey Guide
Employee Experience Monitor Survey Guide
Enable Senior Leaders to Drive Employee Engagement
Design the Employee Experience
Shape the Frontline Employee Experience
Catalyze Cross-Functional Collaboration
Employee Engagement Trends Report 2023
Employee Engagement Trends Report 2024
Employee Engagement Trends Report 2025