Direct report

What is a direct report?

A direct report is an employee who reports straight to a manager above them in the organization. The manager oversees their tasks, deliverables, and performance, and makes decisions about their work.

Why is it important to have direct reports?

Having direct reports ensures accountability, streamlines communication, and establishes greater clarity. Managers can set clear expectations and responsibilities for each reportee, so everyone knows who's responsible for what. Feedback, discussions, and other updates usually flow more smoothly between managers and their direct reports due to the straightforward hierarchy. Since managers collaborate directly with their subordinates, they understand their strengths and weaknesses, which can lead to better career growth outcomes. This relationship often helps direct reports feel more supported, too.

What is the difference between a direct report and an indirect report?

While a direct report is someone who reports directly to their manager, an indirect report is an employee who reports to a manager's direct report. Direct reports usually connect personally with their managers, while indirect reports interact with their manager through their mentor.

What is an example of a direct report?

For example, within an HR team, a learning and development specialist who reports directly to the HR manager is a direct report. In this setup, the specialist is responsible for identifying employee skill gaps, designing and delivering training programs, and tracking training goals, while the HR manager sets learning priorities, aligns initiatives with business goals, and provides ongoing guidance and feedback.

How many direct reports can each manager have?

The number of direct reports that each manager can have totally depends on the organizational culture, area of work, and the amount of work that is involved. There's no fixed number. However, a maximum of 10 direct reports helps ensure that communication, performance management, feedback exchanges, and mentoring happen effectively without any roadblocks.

Can a direct report have more than one manager?

Usually, direct reports have one reporting manager, but some organizations do follow dual reporting structures. For instance, if someone's involved in project-based work, they may have a functional manager and a project manager. More specifically, a learning and development specialist may report to the HR manager for their performance reviews, career development, and other HR-related tasks, but then report to a project manager or a department head when developing a specialized training program, like a leadership development course.

What are the manager's responsibilities to a direct report?

Here are some of the key responsibilities that managers have to their direct reports:

Setting goals that align their team's objectives with their organization's overall goals, vision, and mission
Assigning tasks to make sure that all of their team members get equal and sustainable opportunities
Running performance reviews with an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses to ensure fair evaluation
Offering meaningful feedback that helps them grow in their role, improve their skills, and build confidence
Supporting learning and development by identifying which skills need improvement and delivering the right training programs
Creating an open-door policy so that everyone has a safe space to share challenges, ideas, and feedback