Careers & Classifieds Channel

The Importance Of Strong Manager / Employee Relationships In Employee Performance and Job Retention

One result from a United States nation-wide survey studying employee-manager relationships states: 56% of Americans say their relationship with their boss has a direct impact on work-life happiness. This corresponds with the well-known Gallup Poll study that reported the number one reason why employees leave or thrive in an organization is not their specific job, the organization, or their salary but rather their manager.

In our role as managers, we can have a tremendous influence on an employee's satisfaction in the workplace. A happy employee translates into a productive, loyal, and committed employee. Think about it this way, we all have relationships in our lives that are very successful and fulfilling. Some of the reasons why these relationships are so good are because of the way in which we show the person that we value them and care about them. These principles can apply in our management of our staff.

Always be respectful, honest, candid, interested, with a touch of humor and the payoffs can be huge. Please don’t underestimate how great an influence you are in both your employees’ decision to stay or leave, and while here, their motivation to perform to their greatest potential.