The famous saying goes, “Employees come to a company and leave because of their boss.” This succinct statement highlights the importance of effective communication in team management. To build positive interpersonal relationships and achieve better results, managers must effectively provide feedback. However, constructive feedback is not the only way supervisors build relationships with their employees. Read on to discover what you can do and which tools you can use to enhance your productivity.
Developing a good relationship with your team is a considerable challenge. Every employee is different, the pace of company life often does not allow for long acquaintances and settling in, and the number of responsibilities in team management can mean that sometimes relationship building has to be put on the back burner. Despite this, we have compiled a list of tips on how to build a satisfying relationship in a simple and fairly universal way so that everyone feels comfortable in it.
Key Principles for Positive Employer-Employee Relationships:
- Transparency
- Trust
- Respect
- Equality and partnership
- Maintaining work-life balance
- Loyalty
- Respecting individuality
Transparency as a Company Value
Clear communication and transparency of actions are key to success. Honesty forms the foundation of every healthy relationship, and this applies to the workplace as well. Transparency concerns both the expectations regarding the employee’s work results and topics related to the life of the organization, its plans, and the development opportunities for each team member.
Trust in Teamwork
Work is not a fast-track road—here, the principle of limited trust should not apply. When employing an employee, it’s worth being confident in their skills and values and believing that they will perform their assigned tasks with due diligence. Therefore, it’s not necessary to monitor them at every step, but rather show trust and accept the completed work without checking the process at every turn. Support, both substantive and emotional, is very important, but it should not be confused with excessive control.
Respect Training
In the relationship with the employee, remember that they are not just a row in a spreadsheet or a result on the company’s annual summary. They are people with unique experiences, knowledge, and skills, and thus should be treated with due respect. Showing support during tough times and recognition during success makes employees feel appreciated and noticed at work.
Equality and Partnership in Problem Solving
Treating everyone as partners is key to success. It means that we should behave towards other employees as we would like to be treated ourselves. It does not matter what position the person holds—whether they are our supervisor, subordinate, just starting their career, or are highly experienced.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Nothing damages relationships quite like a boss often forgetting that work is only a part of life, not an end in itself. Respecting established work hours and being understanding towards personal aspects greatly benefits mutual satisfaction with the cooperation.
Highlighting Loyalty
Everyone appreciates an employee’s loyalty. However, this principle also works the other way around. Being committed to a loyal employee is also very important. Appreciating the team’s input and engagement strengthens employees’ willingness to cooperate.
Respecting Individuality
Just as every person is different, so is every employee in the company. It’s important to respect these differences and approach each person in a unique way, to get to know them and develop a unique rapport. This is what characterizes a good leader.
Atmosphere and Efficiency
Implementing these aspects in daily communication with the team will make employees feel like an important part of the organization. They will know they are the pillars on which the business is built. They will also feel that their manager treats them as partners with the appropriate respect and trust. Additionally, they will understand that they themselves have an impact on the environment in which they work. This will build a positive atmosphere in the team because effective employee management is not only about setting and receiving tasks but also about a genuine interest in the team’s well-being.
The Importance of Feedback
The aspects discussed above define behaviors and characteristics that should be guided by daily communication with the team. However, feedback is equally important, if not the most important moment, and can determine the main axis of the employer-employee relationship. This intense moment of honesty is when certain tactics are recommended to be sensitive to important issues for employees and to properly assess their work efficiency. Below are key points to consider.
Communication Objective Comes First
For feedback to contribute to good cooperation, the conversation should have a predefined goal. Specific issues or areas of assessment should be addressed. This way, feedback can directly translate into work results, and the manager’s advice or recommendations will serve as a compass and motivation for the employee to continue improving and achieving better results.
Frequency
It is also crucial that feedback occurs cyclically at set intervals. In the daily grind, workload, stress, and hurry, tensions and misunderstandings can arise between the team and the employer. Therefore, it’s important to communicate freely to relieve tension, clarify, and explain ambiguities. However, if conversations happen too infrequently, the number of such issues can accumulate and hinder regular work. This negatively affects the atmosphere and the team’s morale. However, if meetings are held cyclically, every few months, employees feel cared for and heard.
Specific Actions
Another issue essential for feedback to be a tool for establishing a unique relationship between the employee and the employer is its form and message. A common mistake managers make during evaluations is focusing only on negative aspects of work. This triggers negative emotions in the employee and gives them the impression that the boss is not satisfied with their work. Therefore, feedback should address both areas for development and those strengths and competencies that make the supervisor value cooperation with the person. It’s important that feedback does not only convey negative comments and that it doesn’t focus solely on what needs improvement. Constructive feedback is an extremely valuable tool with great power, and when conducted well, it can motivate work and encourage self-improvement.
Mutual Feedback
Nothing builds a relationship between supervisor and employee like mutual respect and a partnership approach. Therefore, it’s very important for the supervisor to be open to also receiving feedback about their work from the employee’s perspective. Creating such an opportunity will certainly be appreciated. Moreover, it will make every team member feel that their opinion matters and that the manager is curious about their views and willing to work on themselves as well.
The Right Tools
The conversation between a manager and an employee is an irreplaceable way to build mutual relationships. However, to avoid unnecessary animosity and subjectivism, it’s important to prepare for the conversation with the employee in the right way. The right tool, such as Ostendi Performance Review, can help make an objective periodic assessment of employees, ensuring that feedback is more precise. This will positively influence the relationship between employees and the employer.
