Management is at the heart of the performance and well-being of organizations. The expectations of employees and employers have evolved to the point of transforming management.
Management is at the heart of the performance and well-being of organizations. The expectations of employees and employers have evolved and challenged habits.
The observation is clear: the role of the manager is no longer limited to leading. It is now a matter of uniting, inspiring and guiding teams towards a balance between performance, fulfillment and sustainability. It is useful to explore in depth the elements that define good management today.
The pillars of good management practices
If there are new fashionable practices, we are talking here about proven approaches that promote both organizational performance and employee development. They are based on a combination of technical, behavioral and relational skills. These practices, although varied, revolve around several fundamental pillars. In summary, good management practices consist of creating an environment where objectives are achieved through collaboration, motivation and talent development. But they are not fixed: they must evolve to align with new work dynamics.
Effective communication, adaptability and emotional intelligence
A good manager must be able to transmit clear, understandable and appropriate information to his interlocutors. Two-way communication is essential: actively listening to team members and encouraging dialogue promotes problem resolution and builds trust. Also, a manager must know how to adjust his methods and his leadership according to circumstances.
New deal: Managing your own emotions and understanding those of others have become essential skills. An empathetic manager will be able to defuse tensions and promote a harmonious work climate.
Autonomy, accountability and recognition
This phenomenon has greatly increased since the various confinements and managers must now know how to delegate and offer autonomy to their teams. This constrains them to clear objectives while allowing freedom in their implementation. This approach allows employees to feel valued and competent.
Praising an employee for a job well done or showing gratitude for their efforts helps keep motivation high. Best practices include formal (rewards, promotions) and informal (thanks, encouragement) recognition. This requires managers to invest in their own development and that of their teams. It’s about remaining competitive while meeting the aspirations of employees.
Changing expectations
Employee and employer expectations have changed significantly in recent decades, particularly as a result of globalization, digital transformation and recent crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic). These changes redefine the management framework.
Employee expectations
Today, employees are no longer satisfied with an attractive salary. They are looking for work that has meaning and a tangible impact on the organization and society. Joining a company with strong values, a clear mission and objectives in line with their own aspirations has become their priority. Meaning at work, a source of deep motivation, is now a decisive criterion in choosing an employer.
Furthermore, balance between professional and personal life is at the heart of expectations. Teleworking and new working methods have redefined the boundaries between these two spheres, making organizational flexibility essential. Employees want to develop in a framework that respects their personal time and allows them to reconcile their professional commitments with their personal needs.
Finally, development opportunities play a decisive role in employee satisfaction. Current generations attach great importance to career progression, whether through training, internal mobility or personalized support. Combined with a healthy working environment, based on kindness and the prevention of psychosocial risks, this creates a corporate culture conducive to fulfillment and commitment.
Employer expectations
Employers face increasingly complex challenges linked to attractiveness, talent retention and performance management. To meet market demands, they expect strong commitment from their teams, where each employee actively contributes to achieving the set objectives. Motivation and involvement are now essential criteria to ensure collective success. Adaptability is also among the priority expectations. In a constantly evolving world, marked by technological transformations and rapid economic changes, companies are looking for talents capable of training, reinventing themselves and adjusting to new contexts. Added to this is the growing importance of collaboration: working as a team, often in multicultural or diverse environments, is essential to maintain cohesion and achieve optimal results.
Conclusion
Finally, innovation is essential to remaining competitive. Employers rely on creative minds, able to come up with original ideas and find innovative solutions to current challenges. The manager is at the heart of these issues, responsible for reconciling sometimes divergent expectations. Its role consists of creating synergy between the strategic ambitions of the company and the personal aspirations of employees, while maintaining a balance conducive to sustainable performance.
Employees and their company in 2024Launched in January 2024 by Lead Opinion with a representative sample of 2,000 employees in the private sector and public companies, representative of the employee population in these two sectors.
The study reveals that 3 out of 4 employees are generally satisfied with the management method practiced within their department. The 3 main expectations of employees from their manager: firstly, listening and support 46%, secondly, treatment with respect and kindness (46%), finally, encouragement and ability to motivate (39%). Respect and kindness come first among those under 25 (41%), while seniors aged 45-54 mainly expect listening and support (49%) and encouragement/motivation ( 43%). We observe essentially the same expectations according to the CSP. These postures help to create a work environment conducive to satisfaction and commitment, and highlight the importance of implementing human management that is both caring and inclusive within organizations.
Human and inclusive management
Human and inclusive management is now a necessity in modern organizations. Human management values the individual by taking into account their psychological needs. This requires active listening, essential to understanding and responding to employees’ concerns, as well as balanced workload management in order to preserve their mental and physical health. Encouraging employees, celebrating their successes and supporting them in the face of challenges also contributes to their development and engagement. These practices create a climate of trust and promote individual and collective motivation.
Inclusive management, for its part, is based on the recognition of differences and the promotion of equity. By combatting bias in recruitment and promotion processes, creating a sense of belonging and fostering cross-cultural collaboration, companies can benefit from enriching diversity. These approaches generate significant advantages: better talent retention thanks to a feeling of appreciation, increased productivity driven by motivated teams, and a reinforced brand image, attractive for customers and future employees. Human and inclusive management therefore constitutes an obvious lever for reconciling performance and well-being.
