Dive Brief:

• While managers are key to the "people-first" future, 2020 tested many of their limits; manager burnout rose 78% between Q1 and Q4 of 2020, according to the 2021 State of the Manager report from Glint and LinkedIn.
• The importance of people-oriented managers can be seen across an organization, LinkedIn said. Employees who find their manager "inspirational" are two-times more likely to feel optimistic about work in 2021 compared to those who don’t, and those who recommend their manager are two-times more likely to believe their company has "a great culture."
• Managers have significant impact on employee experience, including professional development, work-life balance and belonging, according to the report. To help, organization leaders can ensure managers have access to learning opportunities and equip them with insights to better understand their direct reports, LinkedIn said.

Dive Insight:

Resilient managers may be the key to better employee engagement, previous studies have shown. According to one such study by BetterUp, published in August, the direct reports of resilient managers reported 52% less burnout and were 78% less likely to leave an organization compared to their peers.

Perhaps luckily for employers, resilience can be taught — something that’s become especially important during the coronavirus pandemic, sources previously told HR Dive.

"What resilience skills allow you to do is put [pressure] in perspective," Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, BetterUp’s chief product officer, said, "and really draw from a sense of purpose and meaning about the work that that you're doing and, in a very centered way, be able to absorb those challenges and respond to them creatively, flexibly and with cognitive agility."

Managerial training, however, is a routinely underinvested space, Janet Harvey, member of the International Coaching Federation Thought Leadership Global Board and master certified coach, previously told HR Dive. Despite growing acknowledgement of manager importance, as noted by LinkedIn’s study, companies still struggle to recognize that managers serve as team coaches, too, due in part to issues with L&D buy-in by senior leadership.

But there is good news; in the wake of the pandemic, L&D may have proven its worth as the department helps companies overcome challenges brought by remote work.