10 Topics to discuss in your new manager training

Every manager plays a crucial role in cultivating a healthy work environment for their employees. They’re responsible for onboarding new hires, setting weekly goals, and monitoring team performance.

As the role models of their team, it’s important to double-check whether each manager is competent enough to lead their group. Luckily, we’re here to help out! Explore some of the best new manager training topics, along with recommended courses for your training program.

What is new manager training and why is it important?

New manager training supplies professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle and engage their teams effectively. It helps the organization fulfill its collective goals and contributes to the career growth of your managers. Unfortunately, many companies tend to overlook its importance in the workplace.

A recent study reveals that 82% of leaders enter their positions without receiving any formal management training. This problem produces a chain reaction, from high employee turnover rates to toxic work culture and poor team dynamics.

With proper guidance, you can strengthen the workplace and empower your leaders today. Read through our curated list of 10 key management training topics below.

1. Inclusivity at work

Let's begin with a foundational topic in manager training: inclusivity. When employees feel safe and comfortable, they’re less likely to feel anxious and make mistakes at work. Regardless of age, background, or experience, humans naturally desire to belong to a group where they feel accepted and loved.

As managers, it’s their responsibility to cultivate a safe space where their team members can grow. To build inclusivity among your management team, consider enrolling them in diversity training programs. This will raise their awareness of the different concepts of gender, culture, and race.

Recommended courses:

• Karamo's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training by SC Training
• Diversity and Inclusion by SC Training
• Prevention and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence by SC Training

Foster effective leadership styles through new manager training. Sign up for SC Training today.

2. Time management

Let’s face it, no matter how long you’ve been working, time management is a skill that can be hard to master. With all the responsibilities and tasks your managers juggle daily, it may only be a matter of time before they become burnt out or overwhelmed. 

With time management training, they’ll discover the best strategies to spend their working hours wisely. Once they’ve mastered this skill, your managers can increase productivity, set clear priorities, and smash weekly goals.

3. Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution is among the work skills examples sharpened through relationship building. As team dynamics directly influence individual performance, resolving conflicts is one of those new manager training topics you shouldn’t skip out on.

While it’s normal for team members to butt heads every once in a while, this can lead to serious rifts between relationships if left unaddressed. So, managers must skillfully step in and help their employees arrive at a shared understanding.

Recommended courses:

• De-escalation Training by SC Training
• Handling Objections with Emotional Intelligence by SC Training
• How to be a Team Player by SC Training

4. Constructive feedback

Constructive feedback is the driving force of growth. Research proves that it positively affects employee engagement. By making them aware of their shortcomings, your team can make a mental note to avoid repeating the same mistakes next time.

Remember, consistency is key. To guide your managers to adopt this practice naturally, advise them to initiate weekly catchups with their team. This time can be used to assess individual experiences and recognize their employees’ worthwhile contributions.

5. Change management

In fast-paced work environments, your managers need to learn to embrace change. However, this is easier said than done. You can give them the confidence to work around new products, policies, and practices by highlighting the importance of change management in the workplace.

Arming them with the right strategies and tools empowers your managers to face challenges head-on. They should also cultivate flexibility to navigate any unexpected change in plans.

Luckily, we’ve found the perfect change management tool for you. SC Training (formerly EdApp) is a useful learning management system that enables managers to train their teams anytime and anywhere. It’s infused with bite-sized course materials that break down complex topics into easy-to-digest lessons. This strategy strengthens knowledge retention among the team.

6. Regulatory compliance

The sixth new manager training topic you should include is regulatory compliance. This plays an integral role in maintaining a company’s brand reputation and compliance with federal standards.

Help them avoid the nightmare of racking up costly workplace violations. Especially in the construction, manufacturing, and logistics industries, you wouldn’t want to find OSHA knocking on your door with a penalty for non-compliance. As these regulations vary, managers are expected to perform their due research on these matters.

Recommended courses:

• Safety in the Workplace by SC Training
• Hazard Communication in Construction (US) by SC Training
• Electrical Safety by SC Training

7. Cybersecurity

Secure your business from online threats! Computer literacy is an essential skill for new managers. It equips them with the best cybersecurity practices to avoid phishing attacks, social engineering, malware, and internal threats.

Through cybersecurity training, new managers will study the best practices to avoid online risks. It examines cybersecurity principles, internal threats, popular cyber attacks, and preventive measures to protect your company’s data.

Recommended courses:

• Cybersecurity & Internal Threats by SC Training
• Cybersecurity Awareness by SC Training

8. Emergency preparedness

Help your managers think fast during a crisis with emergency preparedness training. It only takes a few seconds for accidents to occur. This is why the Occupational Health and Safety Administration highly urges workplaces to have one or more employees who are trained in first aid and CPR.

Emergency preparedness is critical to crisis management. Besides the two, you shouldn’t forget fire safety training, as accidental fires happen more often than you think. Make sure each employee knows how to operate fire extinguishers and manage incidents calmly.

Recommended courses:

• Portable Fire Extinguishers - General Industry (US) by SC Training
• Fire Safety by SC Training
• Fire Prevention - Commercial Kitchens, Extract Systems and Cooking Ranges by SC Training

9. Hiring and firing process

Every manager plays a crucial role in the hiring and firing process. As this can be an intensive practice, new managers should be familiar with the company’s protocols for the recruitment and dismissal of employees.

Once your workers gain an in-depth understanding of these internal processes, they can confidently select the best candidates to fill the position. These critical decisions will directly impact their team’s overall dynamics, workload, and productivity.

10. Digital trends

Our last topic to note is the growing presence of digital trends in the workplace. Artificial intelligence easily takes the top spot. Over the years, it has shown its potential and impact for growth. Thankfully, we can say goodbye to the days of scheduling meetings, mapping creative ideas, and proofreading documents entirely by hand.

Investing in AI training for new managers paves the way for enhanced workplace operations. It enables them to buy back the time they’d usually spend doing repetitive activities. You can educate them on AI’s solutions for customer service, onboarding, email marketing, and copywriting.

Engage your team better with new manager training

Now that you’re aware of the key topics to include in your new manager training program, you’ll need a reliable learning platform to implement these ideas. With SC Training’s comprehensive platform, you can put training in the hands of your new managers.

It offers a robust creator tool that harnesses AI to fulfill your content creation needs. Using Create with AI, you’ll never have to start designing your training materials from a blank slate. Simply input a prompt into the text box and wait for the magic to happen.

Motivate your managers to fulfill their workplace learning with Custom Certificates. This feature keeps new managers compliant by default, as each certificate is stored in the admin experience database. You can easily verify who’s finished their courses and the time they’ve done it. Feel free to add your company name and logo—no coding or design experience required!

Nurture the best leaders with new management training. Join SC Training today.