Continuous Conversations - Managers' Learning

Continuous Conversations: Managers' Learning

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By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Outline the role of the line manager within Continuous Conversations.
• Identify what active participation is and how this may be perceived differently from person to person.
• Identify the different components of having successful Continuous Conversations.
• Identify examples of positive and negative practice when hosting continuous conversations.

We will now be looking at your role as a line manager in continuous conversations

What is a line manager?

Anyone who manages one or more direct reports, is a line manager. Line managers are integral to staff having a positive, supportive and fulfilling employment experience. Line managers are expected to:

• Have continuous conversations with their reports, including a minimum of monthly 1-1s,
• Support and prioritise their reports' health, safety and wellbeing,
• Apply Crisis process and policies where appropriate,
• Have a sound awareness of workplace adjustments and support available,
• Enable and empower their reports to learn and develop.

Line managers enabling Continuous Conversations

As highlighted on the previous page, Continuous Conversations are integral to supporting staff throughout their employment journey at Crisis. Therefore, it is so important that line managers are:

• Ensuring check-ins/1-1s and QRMs are taking place with direct reports
• Recognising the importance and value of active participation in these conversations.
• Planning and preparing an agenda for meetings whilst also remaining adaptable and responsive to the needs of their direct reports’.
• Giving reports time to think about what they want included in their meetings.
• Actively listening and developing communication skills to support these discussion spaces.

Spend some time considering what active participation in a 1-1 or Quarterly Review may look and feel like:

• What may this look like to you as the line manager?
• How may these actions feel to your direct report?

Active participation can be...

Setting up calendar invites for continuous conversation meetings.

Using active listening to engage with the conversation and to communicate that you are interested and understanding.

Asking open questions and not waiting to be told.

Being responsive to individuals needs and preferences, whilst also contracting your own to enable a balanced conversation.

Responding quickly to calendar invites for continuous conversation meetings.

Setting boundaries with other aspects of work to enable the conversations.

Ensuring direct reports’ have the time they need with you to seek clarification and support.

Agreeing how notes will be captured to avoid confusion/losing track of key discussion elements.

Scenario

Saz is about to have a 1-1 via MS Teams with a report.

What is Saz doing which suggests she is ready to actively participate in this conversation?

Click to reveal suggestions

Click the image to enlarge

Think about a time you have been in a space with a line manager of yours, and you felt they were engaged and invested in that time with you. What actions of theirs made that moment stand out for you?

Enabling our reports' to succeed

There are many tools we can use and steps we can take to support us in setting clarity with our direct reports, and contracting role expectations. But first, everyone needs to be clear on what we mean by 'performing at work.'

• 'Performance' is how we show up and fulfil the duties we are employed to deliver upon.

• 'To perform' implies an action (or actions) that follow established patterns/procedures and fulfills agreed-upon requirements.

• To be able to manage and monitor performance, both the employee and the line manager need to understand what the 'agreed-upon requirements' are.

• Supporting staff performance is not a single activity, but rather a group of practices that should be approached holistically throughout Continuous Conversations.

What does 'performing at work' mean?

What does good look like?

Click into the following components to find out more:

Job description

Inclusive

Both direct report and line manager will want a shared understanding of:

Success comes from being:

Crisis Values

Trusting and Trusted

Our Strategy

• Respect confidentiality
• Agree how notes will be captured

Remember to:

Progress Map

Conversations can be structured using:

Effective Feedback

SMART Objectives

Psychological Safety & Confidentiality

1-1s and Quarterly Review meetings should be conducted in a private space, whether online or in person, and boundaries need to be made clear on what elements of the conversation are captured in the conversation notes. Click into the following scenarios to find out more:

My report has a concern or need but is worried about this being caputured in the meeting notes

My report and I have experienced conflict and we are now rebuilding our relationship

My report and I are currently experiencing conflict

Click here for the Psychological Safety toolkit

Let's test our knowledge

The next pages include a range of questions and scenarios for you to work through

Scenario

Click the image to enlarge

Sven has booked a meeting room for him and his direct report, Jan, as this first in person 1-1 they have had in 4 months. Jan wants to raise a sensitive issue with Sven, but has been waiting for the right time. She is anxious about sharing the problem and wants to make sure Sven is able to really hear what he is saying.

And you know, Derick just isn’t getting it. He has all this issues at home which we keep talking about, but he isn’t grasping my expectations of what he needs to do at all!

Click the image to enlarge

Scenario

John and Siobhan are in a busy café round the corner from the office. They are both line managers, and colleagues within a wider team. John is talking with Siobhan about a recent 1-1 with one of his direct reports, Derick. Siobhan doesn't know Derick very well and doesn't work closely with him.

Mags, can you make sure you have added and reviewed your last 1-1 notes please, especially on our discussions on your lack of involvement in team spaces and what you are going to do differently?

Scenario

Click the image to enlarge

Click the image to enlarge

Belle is a line manager and is waiting to hear back from direct report, Mags, after sending through their 1-1 notes. They are in an open plan office and Belle is calling out to Mags a reminder about the notes.

Let's recap

Here is a reminder of the key learning points you should have captured throughout this course.

• Line Managers should be actively participating in all continuous conversations to best enable reports' performance and development.
• Active participation may look and feel different for different people, and so contracting and having an open conversation is key to success.
• Line Managers have a responsibility to do what they can to build a trusting relationship with their direct reports.
• Line managers are expected to have a minimum of monthly check-ins with their direct reports, using the 3rd month as the Quarterly Review.

Thank you for completing this course.

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Crisis 10-year Strategy (2025-2035):

Our vision is that in 10 years, homelessness will be going down, and the end of homelessness will be in sight. The 10-year strategy outlines our areas of focus across three main areas:

1. Securing policies that solve homelessness
2. Delivering services that end homelessness for people and places
3. Building a community of people across Britain helping to end homelessness

Click here to access the Strategy in full

Crisis Values:

Understanding our organisational Values is an important step for being able to meet Crisis' expectations of all staff. Our Values should:

• Set the tone for staff behaviour and decision making
• Outline the ways we should conduct ourselves
• Underpin how we prioritise and conduct our activities

Click here to remind yourself of our Values

Building trust is fundamental to be enable you to support your report with identifying and arranging suitable workplace adjustments. Whilst we have a duty of care to ensure we are supporting individuals to the best of our ability, 1-1 notes or QRM forms can be used to capture headlines as opposed to full details of the conversation. By exploring barriers or issues, as opposed to details of the context or situation a report may share, you can still ensure the support and top-level information is captured. For example: Being clear on who has access to this documentation will help assure your report – this is a document used by both you and employee. QRMs will be shared with a new line manager if your role changes. Senior managers have a responsibility to quality assure their reports Continuous Conversations with their reports, but don’t have access to the QRM form unless this is shared with them. QRMs will only be reviewed if there is a serious performance, conduct or wellbeing concern for the individual.

Instead of: Jo has shared that they have been experiencing anxiety again, which is part of a long-term condition that flares up at random. We agreed that Jo could adjust her working pattern to be responsive to any panic attacks at this time. This can be captured as: Temporary adjustment to working pattern agreed over 2 weeks, to be reviewed in next check-in.

In this instance, it is useful to regularly contract with your report and take a future-focused approach. You could try:

• Recognising the ‘elephant in the room’ and using this to help with re-contracting.
• Asking questions like, ‘how are we going to work together?’ and ‘how do we want our relationship to be?’ ‘How can we be on the same page?’
• Continuing to be mindful of your own behaviours and mindset when navigating the rebuilding of a relationship.
• Giving it time – relationships take time to adjust and change and using regular check-ins to rebuild trust between you will be a helpful way forward.

SMART Objectives:

SMART Objectives provide direction, clarity and a focus on specific activities and expectations between line manager and member of staff in relation to what needs to be achieved.

Click here to visit the SMART Objectives toolkit

Effective Feedback

Staff Continuous Conversations should be a safe platform for both the line manager and individual to share feedback with one another. Feedback enables continuous improvement and when used effectively, can help build positive and trusting relationships.

Click here to visit the Giving Feedback toolkit

Click here to visit the Learning from Feedback toolkit

Being Inclusive

All line managers have a responsibility to support and manage with compassion. Being Inclusive in Continuous Conversations means many things, including:

• Not assuming someone else's communication style is the same as yours
• Finding out about others' working style
• Agreeing how 1-1 notes should be captured which are clear and engaging for both of you
• Taking a person-centred approach to performance conversations

Click here to visit the Being Person-Centred toolkit

Click here to visit the Being Inclusive toolkit

Trust

A good working relationship with meaningful and trusting continuous conversations and one which has open adult to adult conversations, will have high levels of psychological safety. A space where both individual and line manager can speak up without judgement, share opportunities and challenges and work through any problems together.

Click here to visit the Psychological Safety toolkit

Job descriptions:

• Explain why the role exists
• Depict where the role sits within the organisation
• Documents what the post-holder is responsible for, including: essential job functions, tasks and activities which fall under these responsibilities of the job (what the aim and the purpose of the role is)

Included in the job description, is a person specification which:

• Outlines the skills, knowledge and experience required (what is required to enable the job-holder to succeed)

The Performance Map:

• Shows the relationship between Crisis Values and individal SMART objectives
• Shares different examples of how individuals may be showing up against our Values and their objectives (Storming, Forming, Positive and Disguished contributions)
• Provides advice and guidance for both line managers and individuals on actions that can be taken to support the indiviudal with their own performance journey

Click here to access the Performance Map

If something feels off or it is known that both you and your report are experiencing conflict, it may be that you need to re-arrange a QRM in the short term to rush through things in the heat of the moment.You could try the following:

• Acknowledging early, that the feeling that your relationship is feeling off is useful. Having an open conversation where you seek and share honest feelings of your report without reacting is an important way to understand the situation.
• Try and centre the conversation around a focus on how you can both move forward – are there any immediate actions either one of you can take to diffuse the conflict?
• Speak to your line manager for support in handling the situation and for ways in which you can be future and resolution focused.