Highlights – 16 October

Change is always guaranteed to get people talking. And the government’s proposed workers’ rights legislation is no exception. When Ann Francke OBE, CMI’s chief executive, clarified that forward-thinking employers have nothing to worry about with any upcoming new rules, her comments were picked up by more than 210 publications, including The Times and The Standard.

Be the change

But the main concern for managers should be to continue to role model great leadership. That’s not always easy. CMI data picked up by Dealer Support shows that 57% of managers would go to great lengths to avoid difficult conversations with their employees.

CMI’s research Taking responsibility – why UK plc needs better managers was referenced in a Training Journal article focusing on stressed employees, and in The Economist as part of a discussion of what makes a good manager. 

In this week’s newsletter, five managers who’ve been shortlisted for the CMI Awards for Excellence share stories of the leaders who influenced them – adding weight to the idea that managers are always role models, even when they don’t see it themselves. 

For more current inspiration, you can also meet the shortlist in the running for Chartered Manager of the Year 2024.

NHS Parliamentary Awards

Great management, and efforts to develop it, can’t be praised enough. The ceremony for the 2024 NHS Parliamentary Awards was held in Westminster this week, recognising the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector. CMI was co-headline sponsor of the awards, and sponsor of its inaugural prize for Excellence in Education and Training. 

Anne Francke praised the inspirational nature of the entrants, who were all “worthy of recognition”.

“We know that there are wonderful examples of training and development happening right across the NHS, all ultimately leading to better patient outcomes,” she said. “Today is a wonderful moment to celebrate that.”  

New rights and new hires

Returning to the subject of workers’ rights, one potentially divisive aspect of the government’s changes is the effort to strengthen people’s right to work flexibly. In this week’s newsletter, managers give their take on whether a four-day working week would be appropriate for their teams and organisations. 

Another change is a new statutory probation period for new hires. The government’s preferred duration for this is nine months, though that’s still under consultation. Probation periods are no bad thing: it just takes planning and real structure to make them work. 

It’s worth flagging that the employment landscape isn’t shaped only by the government. A CMI survey from June found that one in three organisations were planning to freeze or reduce recruitment over the next six months (as picked up by PRmoment).

A higher calling

As a CMI member, you won’t need any convincing of the major role that education has to play in improving our workplaces. That applies to everything from cybersecurity to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The latter is another subject that Ann Francke spoke on recently. 

It’s still so pertinent. In 2022, CMI discovered that only 39% of employees had visible LGBT+ role models at work. That research has now been quoted in an article by People Management, which reported “shocking” levels of bullying towards LGBT+ workers – which shows just how far companies still have to go to close their say-do gaps around EDI.

The learning never ends. 

Best,

Ian Doherty CMgr FCMI, director of membership, CMI

Image: Shutterstock/ Mistervlad