10 Ways To Support Managers in 2026

Managers have a significant impact on employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and retention. “Seven in 10 U.S. workers say they would leave a job if they had a bad manager,” according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence survey.

Human resources departments, internal communications teams, and senior leadership teams must provide managers with ongoing support and training to help them navigate the numerous challenges of being a manager. Providing managers with proper support and training will have a positive impact on both your employees and your bottom line.

The importance of managers for employee engagement is best summed up in this quote from Gallup: “The manager is either an engagement-creating coach or an engagement-destroying boss, but both relationships affect employee behavior.”

Employers have many options for how to support managers. By utilizing these ideas, you will set the stage for a successful manager-employee relationship.

1. Develop Skills

Managers may already possess some skills necessary for success. However, there are many areas that need to be continually developed, refined, and optimized. New managers require additional training and support to handle their new role.

Soft Skills 

Effective management requires developing and optimizing many soft skills. The following are critical soft skills to develop in managers.

• • Communication: Managers need to foster open, transparent, clear, and consistent two-way communication. Strong written and oral communication skills facilitate relationships with employees, collaboration, and teamwork. Active listening skills enable managers to intently listen to employees, which instills empathy and trust.
  • Empathy: Leading with empathy is the foundation of a good manager. As managers empathize with employees, they provide employees with the necessary support and help them develop tailored solutions to truly support them. Plus, employees feel valued when they are shown empathy.

• Problem-solving: As a manager, problem-solving skills are necessary to conquer daily obstacles and achieve team goals. Creativity and innovation skills further enhance the ability to solve problems.

• Conflict resolution: Every workplace experiences some conflicts, but not all conflicts get addressed. In fact, unresolved conflicts cost U.S. businesses $359 billion yearly. From simple misunderstandings to interpersonal conflicts, managers must be comfortable handling conflicts and having difficult conversations to resolve them.

• Decision making: Employers require managers to be skilled at making informed decisions. Managers require guidance on which decisions can be made independently and which require approval or escalation to senior leadership.

• Time management: Juggling the many job duties of a manager requires skilled time management. While managers may wish they had a magic wand to make more time appear, effective time management techniques and tools can help them prioritize and accomplish tasks.

• Resilience: The ability to adapt, recover, and grow from challenges enables managers to remain emotionally strong and lead through uncertainty.

• Emotional intelligence: Recognizing, understanding, and managing emotions in yourself and others defines emotional intelligence. For managers, this skill strengthens communication, builds trust, and enables more effective leadership and conflict resolution.

First-Time Managers 

New managers often feel overwhelmed by their job duties. As peers now become direct reports, managers struggle to navigate this new dynamic. At the same time, they are dealing with a host of new responsibilities in addition to their regular workload. They may have been promoted based on personal success, but not prepared to lead a team.

“Becoming a manager means learning to frame problems in ways that are much broader, more holistic, more long-term.” – Linda A. Hill, Harvard Business School Professor in PeopleGoal

As new managers adjust to their roles, there is a steep learning curve that requires a shift in perspective. Human resources professionals can provide specific ways to support new managers, including offering onboarding and training courses. Establishing a positive relationship between managers and HR departments will be essential for long-term success. Pairing a new manager with a mentor who has leadership experience provides valuable guidance and support.

2. Offer Ongoing Learning and Development

All managers benefit from ongoing learning and development to strengthen core skills and navigate workplace advancements and changes. For new managers, upskilling is critical for building confidence and leadership habits. Training should be viewed not as a one-time event, but as a continuous process that supports long-term growth and performance.

Employers can use a combination of training approaches, including workshops, online modules, and Lunch and Learns. Learning Management Systems (LMS) enable employers to easily create, deliver, and track training for specific roles that can be completed independently. This helps managers to develop core competencies as they work on SMART goals.

3. Model Good Leadership

The best way to learn is by example. When senior leaders model good leadership behavior, it helps to guide managers. Becoming a leadership role model is a deliberate decision that involves strengthening specific skills. Leaders demonstrate the behaviors they want to see through their actions, not just words. This not only aids in manager development, but it also strengthens company culture.

4. Provide Clear Expectations

Equip managers with a detailed job description that clearly outlines their roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. Emphasize that a core part of their role is supporting and developing their direct reports, including coaching, feedback, and performance management. Clearly define how manager success will be measured, using metrics that prioritize team performance, engagement, and growth, not just individual achievements.

5. Focus on Wellness

At the heart of supporting managers is supporting their wellness. Managers need stress management tools, good work-life balance, and regular time off to unplug and recharge. They spend so much time supporting the wellness of their direct reports, often at the expense of their own wellness.

“Simply acknowledging the challenges of middle-level managers so they feel seen and heard is a big first step. And equally important is giving them the time and space to focus on their well-being.” – WebMD Health Services

6. Combat Burnout

The American Psychological Association (APA) dictionary defines burnout as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.” It is the result of long-term stress, overburdened workloads, and a poor work-life balance.

Manager burnout can lead to a high turnover rate. Replacing managers costs approximately 200% of their salary. Implementing strategies to prevent manager burnout will not only decrease turnover, but also boost wellness.

WebMD research shows that managers (53%) experience burnout at a higher rate than employees (33%). Furthermore, only three in 10 managers are engaged in their jobs, and managers are more likely to consider quitting their jobs. Managers have the extra stress of trying to balance the needs of their team with the needs of senior leadership.

The common signs of employee burnout include exhaustion, disengagement, increased absences, isolation, being overly sensitive to feedback, new physical symptoms, and decreased productivity. Employers who know how to proactively monitor burnout will be better equipped to catch the early signs and make meaningful changes.

7. Address Challenges with Deskless Workers

Managing deskless workers has unique challenges. According to Axonify’s Deskless Report, the biggest challenges facing frontline managers are: finding and keeping people, dealing with customers, and the workload. Both managers and employees need specific skills for dealing with difficult customers.

With high turnover rates among frontline workers, managers and their teams have the added stressors of staff shortages and scheduling issues. They need tools and technology to make their job easier and automate tasks, including mobile communication tools and scheduling software. When managers can streamline workflows, they can improve their productivity.

Axonify identified the following areas that frontline managers would like to gain expertise in: cross-training and upskilling, AI and emerging technology, leadership and management skills, conflict resolution, training to use current tools, and collaboration. Two-thirds of frontline managers feel uncertain about how to do their job and report feeling ill-equipped or unprepared daily.

8. Involve Managers Early in Company Changes

When making changes to company culture, it is essential to involve managers early in the process to get their buy-in. Managers play a pivotal role in shaping and sustaining company culture by turning organizational values into everyday actions. Through their behaviors, managers help employees understand what the culture truly means and how it shows up in daily work.

Internal communications teams can assist managers by ensuring that communications about any company change are transparent, prompt, clear, and concise. They should be delivered using tools, techniques, and channels to successfully reach employees. When communications are timely and relevant, employees are 62% more likely to trust leadership.

9. Conduct Effective Onboarding

As employees have an effective onboarding process, they will have fewer questions for managers, a better first impression, and be less likely to quickly leave the company. Incorporating personalized training modules in the onboarding process enables employees to get to work faster and increase productivity.

Holding recurring one-on-one meetings between managers and employees is a key component of onboarding, performance management, and retention. During the first week of work, managers need to frequently check in with employees. After the first week of work, managers should have weekly one-on-one meetings with employees to check in. During these meetings, managers and employees communicate proactively, share feedback, set and track goals, align expectations, identify skills gaps, and discuss priorities.

10. Utilize Software

All-in-one human resources software and integrations with stand-alone software help employers to streamline workflows, centralize information, automate repetitive tasks, enhance communication, provide learning and development, boost DEI, conduct surveys, and improve the employee experience. Utilizing software enables managers to easily access the information they need and implement fair practices.

Performance management software and 360-degree feedback software support reviews, goal settings, one-on-one meeting tools, and professional development. One-on-one meeting tools help managers have meaningful conversations, create agendas, take notes, track tasks, and get AI summaries.

Rewards and recognition features are typically found in employee engagement software. Equipping managers with the tools to easily recognize and reward employees will increase employee engagement. “Employees whose managers were great at recognizing them were 40% more engaged than those with managers who didn’t show the same level of recognition,” states Applauz.

Whether you are looking to increase employee retention, boost employee engagement, enhance employee wellness, or improve productivity, the solution lies in how well you support your managers and equip them with the necessary training, tools, and resources.