First line manager
First or Front Line Managers are the low-level staff managers who perform first line management activities, ensure the company's overall objective is accomplished and the corporate plan is implemented for individual and first line staff. They serve as a bridge between first-line employees and higher-level managers, who are responsible for sharing information and managing employees. They are in the position of direct managers of product and service and they play a crucial role in managing the organization of the operation. Additionally, they are accountable for the product and service as well as the performance of their team [1] .
First Line Manager's duties and responsibilities
Such managers differ from line managers in that they are the first level of management to which only non-executive employees report, rather than occupying a more middle management position within the corporate hierarchy. First line managers span a wide range of areas, including hiring and screening, and performance management and evaluation, training and career development, staff scheduling, and work distribution. On top of their human resources responsibilities, front line managers also had significant client service and budgetary responsibilities and were responsible to a variety of partners, including frontline staff, peers, senior managers, human resources professionals, and customers [2].
An first line manager is typically required to have operational skills and comprehensive knowledge of the processes performed by employees. They are often being promoted from the staff level with advanced operational knowledge of the role and tasked with the additional leadership duties that come with it. The Front Line Manager is required to work in the fields of organizational communication, employee buy-in, and conflict management. They are also often charged with implementing HR policies at the operational level - from healthcare and safety to learning and development. The first line manager is taking on more and more role in HR management. In organizations where the role of HR has become more strategic, day-to-day administrative tasks that used to be the responsibility of HR officers are rapidly becoming more a part of the first line manager's role. The front line manager is responsible not only for managing operations and budgetary matters, but also for a whole array of activities related to employment relations and human resources management [3].
Frontline leaders are assisted in developing a sense of vision for how to give direction to organizations with a more precise and clear vision, by articulating their vision eloquently enough or sharing information to spread it consistently until they become part of these organizations. These supervisors are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all company matters and policies. They also practice authorization and assignment as a result of strategic leadership [4].
Roles of a first line manager
There are different roles for a first line manager [5]:
- Policy Enactor:
This first line manager functions in such a way that it is explicit what HR practices are being used, how they are being used, and why. The FLM relies on both hierarchy and HR policy and often refers to an organizational set of dictates as the reason for a particular practice. In this perspective, the First Line Manager becomes part of the concept of human resource management (HRM) as it becomes the " deliverer" of the practices and policies.
- Organizational leader:
First line manager act as they believe is most beneficial to the relationship with their group as a whole. This may go so far as to take the lead in going beyond current HR guidelines and/or bypassing HR guidelines. They rely mainly on its relationships with its employees and applies personnel policies that sustain those relationships. If a human resources policy threatens relationships with employees, they may take charge of the broader organization.
- Employee Coach:
The first line managers work in such a manner that it is customized to meet the requirements of the individual staff members. They use HR policies to develop the competencies of their employees. They rely on their coaching capabilities for leadership and view the need for a disciplinary action as a failed effort on the part of their management.
Footnotes
| First line manager — recommended articles |
| Levels of management — Human resources management — Front line management — Staff authority — Qualifications of directors — Principles of delegation — Education and training — Area manager — Administrative management |
References
- Evans, S. (2017). HRM and front line managers: The influence of role stress. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(22), 3128-3148.
- Firoz, Farhana & Chowdhury, Muhammad. (2015). Role of First Line Manager: Strategic Leadership in Implementing Successful PMS, Asian Business Review. 2. 07. 10.18034/abr.v2i1.308.
- Kilroy, J., & Dundon, T. (2015). The multiple faces of front line managers: A preliminary examination of FLM styles and reciprocated employee outcomes, Employee Relations, Vol. 37 Iss 4 pp. 410-427
- Liu, Y. (2017). Review of Human Resource Management Function of Front Line Manager, Open Journal of Business and Management, 5, 671-679
- Townsend, K., & Kellner, A. (2015). Managing the front-line manager, In Handbook of Research on Managing Managers. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Author: Roberto Nguyen
