Building Strong Foundations: Supporting Low-Skilled Employees and New Starters to Succeed in the Workforce

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, low-skilled workers have continued to move around the labour market. Working from home presents a new set of challenges for employees and managers alike. Our new research with the Chartered Management Institute looks at the role of managers in supporting low-skilled workers to thrive in their new workplaces and roles during the pandemic. Our research, based on surveys with 1,000 managers, 1,300 employees, and case study interviews with both groups, found that 91% of low-skilled employees agree it is important to have a supportive manager when taking up a new role. However, 60% of managers who have been involved in onboarding low skilled workers since the start of the first lockdown said that they have found it harder to manage these new recruits during the pandemic. Helping new employees to succeed in their new roles is critical to the success of the Government's Plan for Jobs and in helping low-skilled and younger employees stay and thrive in the workplace. [This report was co-produced with Chartered Management Institute (United Kingdom).]