NEWS IN BRIEF

It’s official. There is a skills deficit among UK managers in terms of their people management, according to research just published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

The report “Meeting the UK's people management skills deficit” admits that poor people management is all too often the cause of bullying, conflict and stress in the workplace. It calls on business leaders and government to take a stand to help address the issue.

The report highlights research showing that although line managers provide the key to employee engagement, they are also the category of staff most likely to be bullies and are one of the top causes of conflict and work-related stress.

It also reveals that employees give their line managers very low scores on their ability to make clear what is expected of them; provide feedback on their performance; discuss their training and development needs; or coach them on the job.

CIPD and ACAS have therefore launched what they refer to as the “five-a-day” fundamentals of good management. Developed from their research and practical experience of management development, these fundamentals are grouped under the following headings:

• Managing work now and in the future
• Managing the team
• Managing the individual
• Managing conflict and difficult situations
• Managing yourself.

To access a copy of the report, go to: www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1127