@principal.name, congratulations on becoming a manager!

Being a people manager is an important and impactful role. To help you become a great manager, this is the first of four Pyns you’ll receive outlining the expectations and responsibilities of being a manager at @company.name.

Getting Started

This week you should:

• Set up manager hand-off meetings (60 minutes per direct report)
• Get to know each of your new reports with a kick-off 1-1 (45 minutes per direct report)
• Review manager responsibilities (15 minutes)
• Sign up for manager training (5 minutes)
• Get access to manager resources (5 minutes)
• Review the process to manage time-off requests (5 minutes)

Why is this important?  

A person’s manager has the ability to greatly impact the experience they have at a company. In a study done by Gallup, at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement was attributed to the manager the employee had. Being a great manager means you help others grow and empower them to do their best work. A lot of your time will be spent on providing your people context, clear goals, and enough support and resources so they can accomplish their goals.

What to expect over the next month

Over the next month, you will receive a Pyn each week covering topics that will help you become a great manager:

• This week - Your responsibilities, logistical items, and establishing rapport with your new reports
• Next week - Resources and instructions on how to do great 1-1s
• Week 3 - Performance and career development conversations and managing teams
• Week 4 - Navigating challenging conversations with your direct reports

What are my responsibilities as a manager?

⚠️ Pyn Note to HR: Update this list to reflect what managers are responsible for at your company.

It is hard to know precisely what your weeks will look like when you become a manager, but you should expect to:

• attend manager training sessions [e.g., new manager onboarding, anti-harassment training, etc]
• meet with your manager to clarify, define, or review your measurable goals as a manager or team leader.
• spend 1-2 hours per week per direct report. For example, 1-1s and coaching your direct reports (include preparation time for these meetings); soliciting feedback about your direct reports; providing/documenting feedback for your direct reports; and, following up from discussions.
• be an example of @company.name’s values
• participate in [performance / compensation reviews / 360s / career development conversations] for all of your direct reports, including setting aside [X hours/days] during each review period to send out and review feedback requests, review your report’s self-reflections and provide feedback, and prepare for and have performance and compensation conversations.
• manage time off and other requests from your direct reports

⚠️ Pyn Note: Update to include the kick-off meetings you’d like managers to have. 

Transition smoothly with manager hand-off meetings 

Create a smooth transition for your direct reports by scheduling hand-off meetings with you, your new direct report, and their current manager.

The goal of this meeting is to reduce the natural career friction, pausing, or hiccups that happen when a person gets a new manager. Employees can feel especially anxious if they think their career goals could be disrupted by a change in manager. This meeting alleviates those concerns, provides transparency, and gives your new direct report the opportunity to provide clarifications.

Send an invite with expectations for the meeting, what each person should prepare, what the goal is, and a link to a template document you can all collaborate on. Here is a template email you can use.

Note: If their current manager can’t meet, ask the People Team or your manager for any documentation about your new reports. 

Get to know each report with a kick-off 1-1

Kick-off 1-1s are an important way to build trust and the beginning of a strong relationship - two things especially important in a manager/employee relationship. 

Your goal is to learn about your direct report -  their priorities, their needs, and how you can best work together.

In a kick-off 1-1, you and your report will discuss your User Manuals. This helps set clear norms about working styles, communication preferences, and more. A great thing about this activity is that it gets both you and your report to write things down - this is an important communication skill especially when working on a distributed team. 

During your kick-off 1-1

Spend the first few minutes of your 1-1 talking about something fun or light-hearted before diving in. 

Then, talk through your User Manuals. Note the similarities or differences and have a discussion on how you can best work together given your individual styles and preferences.

At the end of your meeting, schedule the weekly 30-minute 1-1s (or 45 minute 1-1s if you’re not co-located) you’ll have together going forward. Your 1-1s are meant to build rapport, uncover problems before they become a big deal, and create productive working relationships.

✅  Schedule a 45-minute kick-off 1-1 with each direct report. Use this template email to set up the meeting. Also be sure to schedule your recurring weekly / biweekly 1-1s. You’ll receive a Pyn next week with a template agenda for how to run your regular 1:1s.

Tackling logistical items

⚠️ Pyn Note: Update this list to reflect what you do at your company. Be sure to add in links for any manager training, manager guidebooks, resources, etc.

Sign up for manager training. [Insert links to training calendar or learning resources with a note like- “We offer regular training sessions to develop your management skills.”]

Get access to manager resources. [Insert links to available resources. For example, “Along with our Manager Handbook, we have Slack channels and quarterly manager meetings.”]

Review our leave policies and the process for managing time-off requests. The most commonly requested forms of leave are annual leave and sick leave. When your report requests time off, you'll automatically receive a notification from our HRIS. Just follow the prompts to approve or reject a leave request. Review our [Insert link to Employee Handbook or wiki] to view all of our leave policies.

Need help or information?

⚠️ Pyn Note: Update this list to reflect who managers can reach out to for help at your company. Include links to Slack channels, email addresses, or wikis, etc.

Contact People Operations for: team/department reporting, healthcare and benefits questions, equity questions, global mobility, policy guidance, or retirement benefits, etc.

Contact your People Business Partner for: hiring, moving/transferring employees, advising and coaching, employee relations, career planning, or workforce planning, org mapping, succession planning, etc.

Contact the IT Team for: computer support & troubleshooting, equipment requests, or network and VPN support, etc.

Contact the Office / Workplace Team for: wifi passwords, travel to other offices, catering requests/questions, or information about office policies, etc.