People Skills for Managers: Supporting and Engaging Your Team Without an HR Background

STUDY MODE

LIVE-ONLINE

DURATION

May 2026

LANGUAGE

English/Greek

COST

280 € 80 €

Course Overview

Dates and Cost

Dates: May 2026
Total Duration: 10 Hours
Method of Training: Online via Zoom
Trainer: Elena Panayiotou

Cost: €280 | Subsidy: €200 | Final Cost: €80

Funding Information:
The seminar is approved by the Human Resource Development Authority (HRDA), therefore companies are required to pay only €80.
HRDA-approved seminars are exempt from VAT.

Unemployed Individuals:
Registered unemployed individuals may participate in two free seminars per year, upon submitting the relevant authorization from the Public Employment Service office.

Holders of an Individual Learning Account (Ατομικός Λογαριασμός Μάθησης):
Individuals with an active ΑΛΜ can use their available balance to attend the program with full cost coverage.

Individual (Non-Funded) Participation:
Feel free to contact us for more information about individual registration or alternative participation options.

***For registrations of 5 or more participants, please contact us directly.

Aim

The seminar aims to equip managers with essential people management skills required to effectively lead and support their teams without relying on HR departments. In many organizations, managers are responsible for communication, feedback, motivation, and conflict resolution, yet they often lack the formal HR training needed to handle these challenges.

This gap frequently leads to misunderstandings, reduced engagement, and inconsistent team performance. By addressing this issue, the seminar provides practical, easy-to-apply tools that enable managers to create motivated, collaborative, and psychologically safe teams. Strengthening these competencies contributes directly to higher employee retention, stronger leadership culture, and improved organizational performance.

Course Objective

Knowledge Level:

Describe the fundamental principles of people management and leadership for non-HR managers.
Explain key concepts such as motivation, engagement, feedback, and psychological safety.
Recognize the manager’s role in communication, conflict resolution, and team development.
Identify effective HR practices that can be applied by managers in their day-to-day leadership.
Understand the relationship between motivation, performance, and employee well-being.
Explore evidence-based approaches to team management and crucial conversations.

Skills Level:

Apply practical tools for feedback, coaching, and motivation (e.g., 2-minute feedback, GROW model).
Handle conflicts constructively using win–win techniques and active listening.
Lead crucial conversations with confidence and empathy.
Facilitate collaboration and team engagement through recognition and gamification.
Develop a personal “HR toolkit” to improve daily leadership practices.

Attitudes Level:

Cultivate a people-centered leadership mindset that values trust and openness.
Adopt a proactive approach to communication and continuous team development.
Embrace accountability, empathy, and recognition as essential leadership behaviors.
Encourage inclusion, psychological safety, and respect within diverse teams.

Περιγραφή Υποψηφίων για Συμμετοχή

The seminar is designed for:

Managers, supervisors, and team leaders who are responsible for leading teams but do not have a formal HR background.
Professionals recently promoted to managerial positions who need to strengthen their people management skills.
Project coordinators or department heads who wish to enhance communication, motivation, and conflict management abilities.
Entrepreneurs and business owners seeking to apply effective HR practices within small teams.
Employees preparing for leadership roles and aiming to develop essential interpersonal and coaching skills.

Participant’s Profile

The seminar is designed for:

Managers, supervisors, and team leaders who are responsible for leading teams but do not have a formal HR background.
Professionals recently promoted to managerial positions who need to strengthen their people management skills.
Project coordinators or department heads who wish to enhance communication, motivation, and conflict management abilities.
Entrepreneurs and business owners seeking to apply effective HR practices within small teams.
Employees preparing for leadership roles and aiming to develop essential interpersonal and coaching skills.

Topics

1	Introduction to People Management for Non-HR Managers	Understanding the evolving role of the manager as a people leader. Overview of HR functions relevant to daily leadership.
2	The Manager as Coach – Feedback & Micro-Tools	Applying short coaching models (e.g., 2-minute feedback, GROW framework). Practicing effective feedback and goal-setting conversations.
3	Motivation and Engagement through Recognition & Gamification	Identifying intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Practical recognition techniques and gamification principles to boost morale.
4	Communication and Crucial Conversations	Building confidence in managing difficult discussions. Active listening and empathy-based communication skills.
5	Conflict Management & Win–Win Techniques	Managing disagreements constructively. Mediation micro-tools and role-play exercises for real-life scenarios.
6	Team Building and Psychological Safety	Fostering trust, inclusion, and open communication. How to create a psychologically safe work environment.
7	Mini Performance Tools & Personal HR Toolkit	Using quick performance check-ins, recognition cards, and reflection exercises. Designing a personal leadership action plan.

Training method

Our instructor conducts the seminar live on Zoom, offering an interactive virtual training experience that includes real-time collaboration, hands-on activities, dynamic presentations, and practical demonstrations.

Trainer

Elena Panayiotou

Elena Panayiotou has been a Lecturer in Business Studies since 2016, with extensive teaching experience in accounting, management, and economics across higher education institutions in Cyprus and internationally. She holds an MBA from the Mediterranean Institute of Management, a BSc in Economics from the University of Cyprus, and is currently a PhD Candidate in Business Administration.

Her academic and research interests focus on the interplay between organizational culture and accounting/managerial practices, as well as the relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee productivity. Throughout her academic career, she has taught a broad portfolio of courses, including Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, General Accounting, Costing and Budgeting, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Business Strategy, Operations Management, Market Research, Consumer Behaviour, and Introduction to Management.

In parallel, she has substantial experience in online and blended learning environments, supporting diverse international student cohorts in accounting, economics, and management disciplines. Beyond higher education, she has been actively involved in professional and vocational training, delivering specialized programs and seminars for adult learners in areas such as Banking Operations, Applied Accounting, LCCI certifications, leadership development, quality management, and the use of digital educational tools.