Time to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of your team? Hiring a staffing manager can be a good starting point. Here's what the role involves.
Human resources are generally considered the most valuable asset of any business. And since in organizations people work in teams, the coherence and consistency of employee collaboration determine whether the company goals and objectives will be achieved.
However, managing human resources is only one of the numerous duties of a leader. So to take off some of the leader's workload, the responsibility to develop effective staffing policies and bring them to life can be assigned to a professional who specializes particularly in this field – to a staff manager.
Let’s discuss the role of staff managers and explain why they can be of great use to your organization.
A staffing manager, sometimes referred to as a resource manager, is a specialist responsible for guiding and supervising employees, keeping them motivated, and improving their performance. Staff management covers several administrative duties, including processes like recruitment, training, maintaining discipline, and rewarding.
The role of staff managers is to provide support for line managers – links in the organization’s management hierarchy, involved in the production of goods and services, who are in charge of the daily management of their teams. Unlike line management, a staff manager does not make any business decisions, performing an advisory function.
The terms "staff manager" and "staffing manager" can be used interchangeably in some contexts, but they can also have slightly different meanings depending on the organization and industry. Generally, the differences, if any, are subtle and might not be universally agreed upon. However, here are some potential distinctions:
Staff Manager:
Staffing Manager:
In summary, while the terms may be used interchangeably, a "staff manager" could have a broader role that involves overseeing a team's overall performance, whereas a "staffing manager" might have a more specialized role focused on recruitment and talent acquisition. However, the specific responsibilities associated with these roles can vary across organizations, and it's essential to consider the context in which these terms are used.
Staff managers take responsibility for the following:
A staff manager identifies the organizational needs that have to be covered and creates corresponding positions, as well as interviews potential employees and provides all necessary training and career guidance.
This may also include creating a staffing plan, a document that determines whether you have the people and skills to achieve your business objectives, which is an important element of strategic staffing – aligning your workforce with your business strategy.
A staffing management plan is a great instrument for project managers. By developing the required skill sets, identifying the resource gaps, and providing the timelines for activities like hiring and training, they can make sure their projects will always have enough resources.
To avoid situations when certain employees are overburdened with work while others waste their time, staff managers take care of resource allocation. This way, they make sure tasks are assigned to the employees with the right skills and that these employees are available at the moment and able to finish the task on time.
A great way to manage resources is to use resource management software. For example, Runn lets you get a clear picture of your employees’ schedules and capacities against workload, track demand vs supply, and create future project scenarios.
Managing staff schedules can help you deal with problems like:
A staff manager is in charge of the onboarding process, helping newly hired employees integrate into the organization through:
Besides, staff managers may organize different workshops and courses to let people who have been on the team for some time acquire new skills, necessary to complete certain projects.
Periodic performance reviews help a manager see if the company works on its current and future objectives, uncovering problems and looking for ways to resolve them.
At the same time, performance reviews let a staff manager notice those who work exceptionally devotedly – and make sure that their efforts are appreciated.
While it’s crucial to recruit and hire good specialists, it’s just as crucial to create all the necessary conditions to keep them in a company. To retain employees, staff managers play a crucial role in fostering a strong company culture – communicate values and make sure they’re maintained, listen to concerns and respond to them, and let every person on the team feel they are a part of something bigger, developing a sense of belonging.
It’s also very important to give credit. Job satisfaction is more than a cliché term – it actually directly influences the performance and, consequently, a company’s profits. Problems with motivation might cause a high employee turnover, making the company lose important assets.
One of the ways to keep people motivated is to appraise employee performance, which can be done through compensation or job responsibilities updates. Monetary rewards, as well as a promotion, are the most straightforward methods of showing appreciation. A possibility of moving up the career ladder is a huge motivational factor.
➡️ Related: What We Like About The Ready's Staffing Model
A staff manager functions as a liaison between line managers and employees, so building and maintaining communication is one of the most important responsibilities in this role.
In particular, the communication startegies of a staff manager may include the following:
Regular communication also helps to read the overall mood in the office, finding out if people are satisfied – and if not, what are the reasons behind it. Discussing issues might prevent serious conflicts, or help constructively solve already existing ones, which means staff managers should actively participate in conflict resolution.
A staff manager is expected to organize the work of human resources in such a way that they fulfill the company’s goals, and this can be done only by developing structural processes.
Understanding and forecasting the company's needs, analyzing what soft and hard skills are required to cover these needs, establishing a hiring budget, developing onboarding programs, and creating and aligning schedules require both a vision and a detailed-oriented work approach.
To truly understand the needs of staff and their concerns, a staff manager has to actively listen, focusing on what’s being said and trying to see the objective picture.
That’s why managers should develop psychological safety – the environment where team members can voice their opinions and concerns, and also share ideas. By showing empathy and trust, staffing managers improve working relationships on a personal level. This is the basis for open communication and constructive feedback that contribute to employee motivation and retention, letting people feel empowered.
You might still prefer handling the responsibilities of a staff manager without hiring an actual specialist. But if you're already pretty busy, this can have negative consequences for your company – like inconsistency with rewards, which causes resentment, a failure to recognize and remove biases and related bullying, aggression, and discrimination, or high turnover.
Let’s see what things can signal that your organization needs a staff manager:
Staffing is a very important element of management, as it ensures the success of teamwork. By developing recruitment strategies and organizing the smooth work of employees, staff managers boost performance and maintain a positive work environment, this way helping the company avoid turnover and retain the best employees that will lead it to success.
