Do your managers need training in 2025?

The Chartered Management Institute claims 82% of UK managers are ‘accidental managers’ who have received little to no formal management training.

As you and I both know, managing people is a complex task. There is no instruction manual, nor a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Yet, we still expect our managers, often promoted through tenure and technical competence, to learn on the job and develop their skills by practising, in real-time, on our people – our greatest asset.

It’s great that people get to learn by doing but getting it wrong can have dire consequences for your business, the bottom line and your competitive advantage.

Here’s what you risk:

Employee retention

2 in 5 leavers cite their reason for exit as having a bad manager. And this is conservative because other reputable studies have identified that up to 43% of workers have left a job because of their manager.

There is a HUGE cost involved with this.

Losing talent can have a detrimental impact on your business. First, there is the time and cost of replacing them. If the skills you need are scarce, this could really impact your ability to trade.

Then, there is a period of upskilling and onboarding. Who is largely responsible for this? Yep, the manager.

You’ll also want to consider the loss of knowledge. Assuming that your workers are knowledge workers, most of what they know is acquired tacitly or lives in their heads.

Lastly, when your talent leaves you, who do they go and work for? That’s right, your competition!

Employee engagement and productivity

A 2021 Gallup report stated that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores and that great managers engender loyalty in their people.

A recent survey by the CMI and YouGov found that organisations investing in management and leadership development programmes benefitted from a 23% increase in organisational performance and a 32% increase in employee engagement and productivity.

Employment tribunal

And all of that is before you even consider employment law! A poorly educated manager can land themselves (and your business) in all sorts of hot water with a poorly handled recruitment process or mistakes in a dismissal – it’s a minefield.

And then it’s not just legal fees you could be budgeting for, but brand damage to boot.

What’s the solution to this? You guessed it…Management training

Management training can also be a great way of recognising the excellent management competency your managers already have through formal acknowledgement and accreditation.

By providing a clear program of key management skills, your managers will be able to reflect on their capabilities, benchmark themselves and ensure they are continuously learning. They will also recognise their weaknesses, limitations and development needs.

Takeaway

Invest in your management training program and your financial results will benefit from well-informed managers who are equipped to retain, train and drive your team's performance.

Talk to us about management training

We can help you create the right management training programme for your business and we’d love to discuss this with you. Get in touch.