Rolling out a new HR process? Whether it’s performance reviews, leadership development or onboarding, managers can make or break it.
They’re the ones who translate policy into practice. They coach, escalate, embed, or… quietly ignore. So if you want your next HR initiative to land? Start with manager engagement.
Here’s how to get them onboard, and keep them there.
HR's goals might be clarity, fairness or data. Managers? They care about time, team dynamics and personal credibility.
Try this:
“This new performance process helps you have clearer, faster conversations, and gives your team more direction without you chasing them.”
Not: “We’re launching a new review framework aligned to our L&D strategy.”
Most managers don’t resist change, they resist more admin. Equip them with what they need so they don’t have to interpret, translate, or guess.
For a performance process, this could include:
A 1-page overview for managers
Sample email to their team
Talking points for 1:1s
Slack or Teams reminders they can copy-paste
Loom explainer video
For leadership development, it might be:
How to nominate team members
What to say in a development conversation
Session FAQs or time commitment
Time-starved managers don’t want 12-slide decks or long PDFs. They want short, sharp, actionable comms in places they already look (Slack, email, team meetings).
Break your rollout into small nudges, like:
Weekly “Did You Know” posts
Countdown to review deadlines
Quick reminders during team leads’ huddles
Want better uptake? Co-create. Ask for input before launch, pilot with a few trusted managers, and feed their feedback into the comms.
They’ll become champions, because they helped shape it.
No one wants to be nagged. But managers do want better outcomes.
After the first round of rollouts, share quick insights:
“82% of managers completed reviews on time, and 65% say it led to clearer team goals.”
Show them their effort made a difference.
Inside the Thesmia prompt library, you’ll find tools to help you:
Build manager comms plans
Write toolkits, nudges and FAQs
Position the why with impact
Track engagement and success
Just type a / into into the prompt bar to get started, scroll through all of our pre-designed prompts set-up to support you getting managers onboard.