Faced with an array of HR challenges, it can be easy for businesses to focus on areas other than senior leadership when seeking the source of an issue.
Absentee leaders have been highlighted as a detriment to a workforce, with employees criticising this type of leadership more so than other forms of poor management.
This article focuses on the impact that absentee leadership can have on an organisation, and how companies should avoid it.

What is an Absentee Leader?
In short, an absentee leader is in the office in body but not in mind or spirit.

A recent Forbes article described absentee leadership as ‘emotional disengagement’ with their role and purpose.
While this ‘leader’ may be present, their lack of guidance or advice to staff as a mentor and management figure can make a lasting impact on their team and company.

While troublesome staff members are often guilty of disciplinary-worthy actions, absentee leaders can often become detrimental for an organisation on a long-term basis.

Whether it’s frequently cancelled meetings, multiple unanswered emails or little to no feedback, a leader who maintains an absent attitude to their role, their staff and their organisation can leave a lasting impact.

How can Absentee Leaders Impact their Staff?
Just as absentee leaders project a poor attitude, fellow staff can become demotivated towards their work or their role within an organisation. By not receiving appropriate feedback, staff may struggle to imagine a future within an organisation.

Not only can their own staff become impacted, but fellow senior leaders may be forced to pick up an absentee leader’s workload. Other managers who may also be causing trouble in more obvious ways will be focused upon, allowing absentee leaders to continue their poor management, leading to consequences for an organisations in the future.

What about Organisational Impact?
Poor management from an absentee leader may take some time to impact an organisation, but the consequences can be bad news for any company.

With demotivated staff comes an unproductive organisation. The Workforce View in Europe 2018 found that absentee leaders were one of the worst causes of unproductivity for organisations.

As staff become disenchanted with an organisation and how it is managed, many may consider or follow through leaving. Not only will this result in a loss of talent, but a company could face significant skill shortages.

An organisation’s performance will also inevitably suffer. While some managers face criticism for ‘micromanaging’, absentee leaders can lead to a toxic reduction in an organisation and its standing with its publics.

How can Absentee Leaders ruin your Organisation?
Hogan Assessments CEO Scott Gregory has shed light on the top five ways that an absentee leader can affect, or even ruin an organisation.
With a simple infographic, the consequences of failing to deal with absentee leaderships are plain to see.

​If an absentee leader fails to ensure staff are certain of their role and purpose, this will affect organisational productivity in the near future. By failing to provide feedback, absentee leaders can cause uncertainty for staff on their own performance, and their responsibilities within their own roles.

Other ways in which an organisation may be ruined by absentee leadership is increased employee dissatisfaction and staff turnover. A lack of feedback or understanding can lead to demotivation. In turn, staff will seek career fulfilment elsewhere, affecting an organisation’s ability to retain talent and superior performance over competitors.
Absentee leaders can cause further stress for staff. As job dissatisfaction rises, staff burnout can become inevitable, affecting staff health as they tackle increasing workloads as a result of frequent staff turnover. 

What should you do about it?
Absentee leaders are clearly toxic for any organisation and its staff. If their own leadership is not engaged and ready to serve their purpose, other staff will become demotivated and follow suit. As job dissatisfaction increases, staff turnover will follow, leading to skills shortages and performance reduction.

Organisations should protect their own reputation amongst both internal and external publics. If an absentee leader is identified, an organisation should strive to understand why they disengaged in the first place and work to motivate this person towards their role and purpose with an organisation.

By taking a top down approach to this HR issue, organisations can ensure their success continues, and that all staff are certain and motivated towards their roles.

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Many companies are evaluating the role of HR in their organisation. With businesses constantly striving to keep up to date with new technologies and battling the skills shortage, HR departments are finding themselves in the spotlight more and more. For some businesses, this means increasing HR’s role within the organisation, especially at a senior management level. In fact, according to the Great Place to Work HR Trends Survey 2017, a massive 82% of HR professionals cited that the credibility and influence of the HR function in leadership had increased.
 
So how important is HR when it comes to company leadership and how can HR professionals positively influence top-level management for the benefit of a business as a whole? Here at the HR department we have come up with 4 crucial ways HR can and should be contributing to leadership:
 
1. Strategic HR  
 
Making sure HR is well versed in the big picture aims of the organisation is vital, especially as it’s the department responsible for hiring new workers. Traditionally HR has been criticised for being too focused on the day-to-day operations of a business and therefore accused of lacking strategic vision. Ironically, it may be precisely due to a lack of HR representation at senior management level that HR as a department isn’t fully aware of, or up to speed with, a company’s overall goals.

So, in order to gain full insight into a company’s ethos and aims, and to help drive a business forward in the right direction, HR professionals need to have a seat at the top table. This will ultimately develop the skills and knowledge of HR staff while making sure all employees are in line with company objectives. 
 
2. Act as Role models

There is no doubt that HR, as a department acts as a role model for the rest of an organisation. Often responsible for disciplinary action, payroll and making sure workers abide by codes of conduct, HR professionals play a vital role in workplace management.
 
In this sense, it is also HR’s role to keep senior management in check, even if that means HR professionals being unpopular with leadership. In order to effectively carry out this task, and act as somewhat of an intermediary between senior management and the rest of a business, HR must have an influence in the C-suite. Not only is this important internally, it also helps to portray a company as being one of openness and fairness and employees may appreciate HR taking up a mediating role throughout a company.
 
3. Company Culture Creators
 
More often than not we are seeing how HR can help to create and uphold company culture. A strong company culture is vital when it comes not only to attracting new talent, but also holding on to your best workers. HR, through mentoring, training and development, for example, can help to harness a company culture that encourages and empowers workers - ultimately making them happier employees.
 
Company culture greatly influences how your business runs on a daily basis. From flexible working hours to maternity leave to promotions – all of these details, managed by HR, are very important for harnessing a great company culture. Senior management in an organisation should recognise this and give HR the appropriate role in leadership to facilitate the enhancing of company culture throughout a business.

4. Key to Employer Branding

Continuing on from company culture, HR plays a central role in diffusing and promoting an organisation’s brand externally. In fact, when asked what department was most responsible for employer branding in their organisation, 42% of those in the HR Trends Survey 2017 cited the HR department – 12% greater than even the marketing department.
 
Effective employer branding helps to ensure that companies find suitable and talented workers which saves time, money, effort and improves employee retention. Undoubtedly, employer branding, along with talent acquisition and retention, is even more effective if it is done collaboratively between HR and senior management. Teamwork in this area between HR and management increases the ability to spot top talent early and assess the abilities of prospective employees, while ensuring businesses find an employee who is the right fit for the organisation.

Giving the HR department more of an influential role at senior management level clearly has its benefits. The reality is that many of the current weaknesses of HR departments stem from the disconnect between HR and leadership within an organisation. Bridging the gap between HR and senior management is a mutually beneficial undertaking that will result in a more productive, strategic and forward thinking business.
 
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The way companies are being managed is changing rapidly. As the need for greater transparency and customer centric business increases, many companies are restructuring their management system to meet these new demands. Couple this with the fact that the workplace has become more fast-paced than ever - not least due to the rise of digitisation – and it is easy to see why companies are rethinking the structure of the workplace.

One management style which some companies – especially those that are tech based - are adopting to meet the challenges of the global marketplace is known as agile. Agile management, championed by companies such as Google and music streaming giants Spotify, essentially divides a business into small teams of workers that act like start-ups in their own right. Agile centres on the idea that employees should be largely self-organised and collaborate on a level playing field for the benefit of the business.
 
Clearly these types of changes to management have vast implications for HR departments. It is important to note that agile management has many different facets. The focus here is to look at how HR Departments should adjust and adapt in a business switching to, or thinking of taking on aspects of, agile management.
 
So, here are 3 ways that agile management can influence HR:  
 
1. Making Everything Continuous/Ongoing
 
In this day and age, product and project cycles work on a month-to-month or even week-to-week basis, rather than year-to-year. Agile management stresses the need for ongoing, continuous feedback and review of company progress, as opposed to annual reports. Here are three main areas HR departments should be prepared to tackle on an ongoing basis:

- Talent Acquisition:

Instead of hiring once or twice a year, companies are much more likely to hire as and when they require skilled staff. This means HR departments should be constantly on the lookout for staff suited to their business and regularly sounding out areas of the business that might be understaffed.
 
- Feedback:

Rather than providing yearly feedback to staff, HR departments in an agile management structure should be much more ready to give regular feedback to employees. While this may be time consuming, it helps to encourage and motivate staff and make sure the business is as productive and efficient as it can be.

- Training:
 
Under agile management, HR departments should see training as a continuous process, rather than a one off thing. Making sure your employees are regularly well trained and up-to-date in their department will ensure your company is more effective. A key role of HR is also to monitor performance – providing regular training is one way to keep all employees performing to the best of their ability.
 
2. Demands a Concentrated Focus on Teamwork
 
With agile management there is much less importance placed on the individual employee - it’s all about teamwork and how employees collaborate with one another. This means that the HR department must move away from focusing on individual merit and instead hone in on how teams work together, helping to ensure the smooth running of the team as a whole.

Of course this also changes the role of the managers in a company. It is essential that HR departments encourage managers to be much more interactive, hands on, and engaged with their team. HR must preach the idea that employees are on a level-playing field – something which can be hard for many managers to handle. HR may even be required to come up with new roles and methods of assessment that promote cross-functionality between teams.

3. Changes in Company Culture
 
Clearly, with an agile management system, the company ethos will have changed greatly. Having a harmonized company culture is essential, especially when it comes to hiring new talent, and it’s an area where HR can lead the way.  HR should make sure there is a homogenised company culture that all employees understand and support.
 
In addition, current employees may not be used to organising themselves and being given more flexibility – HR can assist in these areas in order to make sure companies get the best out of their staff and ensure talent retention. The key here is for HR to demonstrate that with agile management, leadership takes much more of a bottom-up rather than top-down approach. Clearly this is unconventional and may take time for employees to get used to, however it has the potential to make a company more effective and efficient, while promoting equality in the workplace.
 
Of course, agile management isn’t suited to every business. Companies may well pick and choose the ‘best-bits’ of agile management and implement them as they see fit, or opt for entirely different systems. However, the reality is that as companies look to change their management structure to meet the every day pressures of a fast-paced and ever-changing working environment, HR needs to make sure it doesn’t get left behind. As different companies adopt different management styles, the HR department must be versatile and adapt to any changes in order to stay in line with the rest of the business and remain an integral part of its success.  
 

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As Bob Dylan once wrote ‘the times they are a changing’. Much like hit comedy Anchorman’s protagonist Ron Burgundy, there’s a good chance that many Millennials have never heard that song. But in terms of talent management and acquisition the words are as true today as they were in 60s.
We’ve received numerous enquiries from business owners and HR managers frustrated with their Millennial employees. They seem disengaged. They’re overly opinionated. They’re self-absorbed. The list goes on. Often, what appears to be the problem is a misinterpretation of the situation.
There’s no doubt that the expectations of Millennials are different to those of their parents and grandparents. Their values must align with the company they work for. They crave variety and they’re more concerned with striking a better work/ life balance than money.
If you can understand their motivations and needs, then Millennials can be a powerful addition to your workforce, bringing vibrance and a fresh way of thinking to your organisation. Here are five things you need to understand about Millennials to get the most out of them.

#1. Look at your culture
As I mentioned Millennials are far more selective about the type of company they work for. Like anyone, they want to work for an organisation they can be proud of. Unlike previous decades, however, this may have nothing to do with size or turnover. Rather they may want to work with an organisation that values diversity or collaboration or corporate social responsibility. These are cultural elements and employers having to look long and hard at what they stand for in order to attract the right kind of talent.

#2. Offer a clear career path
In an age of immediate gratification and answers at the tip of their finger, Millennials aren’t used to standing around and guessing what the outcome is going to be. When it comes to their career they want to know what is expected of them, how they will progress through your organisation and what the limitations will be.
By offering a clear career path, with milestones and expectations, you can entice the most talented to join your company. Just be sure you can back-up whatever you agree to.
 
#3. Give them structure
Following on from my second point, structure is an essential part of managing Millennials. Through school and university, looking at tasks on a project-by-project basis has become the norm for them. Adapting your management processes to reflect this can make a huge difference to engaging your Millennial workers.
Clearly define assignments and success factors. Make sure reports have set due dates and that meetings have agendas and minutes.
Having a list of tasks that can be ticked off, as opposed to one vague goal, feeds into the Millennial need for instant gratification.
 
#4. Acknowledge their efforts and opinions
This is often an element older generations of employers struggle with. If your attitude is that employers are paid to do a job and they should be glad of it, then you’re probably not going to get far with your Millennial staff.
A challenge of their need for instant gratification is that they almost expect to be acknowledged for the work before they do it. However, showing them how the work they do adds value to your business and recognising their efforts through various incentives – not necessarily financial but perhaps in terms of social rewards or time in lieu – can go a long way.
Equally, this generation has grown up in a world of collaboration. Schools, teams, societies, and universities emphasise the value of team work and that a strong team is more effective than any one individual. As such, Millennials are used to sharing their thoughts and opinions with their seniors just as much as with their peers.
Accept that they are not intentionally acting out of turn and they will value your constructive criticism as much as they appreciate your giving their opinions genuine consideration.
 
#5. Avoid boredom
Millennials are used to doing a 101 things at the same time. From sending an email while on the phone, to networking face-to-face and social media all at the same time, they’re the ultimate multi-taskers.
If you’re not challenging them, they will quickly get bored; and a bored Millennial is a disengaged worker; and a disengaged worker can be more harmful to your operation than anything else.
Meet with them regularly to ensure they are happy with the workload; that they find it challenging and interesting and that they see the purpose of what they’re doing.
 
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It appears that bad bosses are EVERYWHERE. Indeed, a recent survey from Approved Index found that almost half (42%) of workers have left a job because of a bad boss. Reading this now, you may recall a nightmare experience of your own.

When you consider the countless number of reasons someone might be considered an awful boss, this shouldn’t come as too big a surprise. For a lot of people, a dislike of a boss might come down to something very personal, not reflecting their effectiveness in their role at all. Afterall you’re never going to please everyone.
However, there are some particular traits almost guaranteed to infuriate all your employees.
Here are five traits of horrible bosses:

#1. They’ve No Vision
While they might seem a million miles apart, the office environment and nature have a lot in common. I recently wrote a blog on the HR lessons we can learn from The Jungle Book. One of those lessons was about leadership.
Just like any wolf pack or pride of lions, employees look to their bosses for guidance and leadership. A good boss always has a clear vision of where she is leading her team – in line with the company’s mission - and how they’ll get there.

A clear vision gives purpose to the work your staff do and instils confidence in the direction the company is taking. A boss without a vision is likely to encounter resistance from his employees, which can quickly turn into apathy and then attrition.

#2. They’re Poor Communicators
Communication is key to any good relationship, and the relationship between boss and employee is no different. Managers who fail to communicate regularly and clearly with their employees are headed for trouble.
Worse than that, when they do decide to communicate with their workers, truly awful bosses tend to be negative and very seldom provide any sort of constructive criticism. This can be poisonous for productivity and staff morale. Such behaviour only knocks employees’ self-esteem and builds a sense of resentment for the work they do and the people they do it for. Moreover, it may lead to claims of bullying, which is very bad for business.

In contrast, good managers provide clear, unambiguous instructions to their teams, ensuring each member knows what part they play in any given project. When it comes to giving feedback, they do it in a positive and constructive manner. This isn’t to say that when someone needs to be reprimanded they’re not up to the job. It more so means that they know how to communicate with their workers in any given situation.

#3. They Blame Others
Following on from point #2, bad bosses tend to be quick to point the finger at others when things go wrong. Despite the fact that the issue most likely arose because of their inability to give clear direction, they see it as a problem caused by their subordinates.

As the boss, the buck really stops with you. As the leader of the team your duty is to do what is best for the team. When things go wrong you need to take it on the chin, identify what could have been better and learn from the mistake. That won’t happen if you keep using team members as scapegoats.

#4. They Steal the Limelight
The only thing worse than a boss who blames others when things go wrong is one who also takes all the credit when things go right. Again, you have a duty to the team and that duty involves acknowledging and rewarding the hard work your employees do. It costs nothing to share the glory but it can yield a huge amount of loyalty and respect from your staff.

 #5. Their Way or Nothing at all
Bosses are bosses for a reason. They have (or at least should have) worked hard to get to where they are, garnering the necessary experience and skills to fulfil their role. While the best bosses demonstrate strong leadership and vision, they also realise the importance of listening to and considering the suggestions of their team. They value the perspective of others and know it can be useful in making more informed decisions, that ultimately benefit the team and the business.

Conversely, horrible bosses tend to opt for the ‘my way or the highway’ approach. This tunnel vision isolates them from their team, preventing them from identifying errors in their judgement until it’s too late.

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