When employees and their managers have mutually respectful and cooperative relationships, the workplace is a happier and more productive place. If you feel that manager-employee relationships are not as strong as they could be within your workplace, select some areas of focus relating to the development of these relationships. After selecting topics upon which to focus, create plans for addressing each.
Role Definition
In some workplaces, managers and their employees do not work as harmoniously as they could because they lack a shared understanding of their respective roles in the business environment. If the line between management and employee has become blurred in your workplace, leading to discord, work to develop clear definitions of these roles. Create a visual representation of your organizational structure and present this to your workers in a company meeting. Allow each to see where he fits in the grand scheme of things.
Communication
Managers and their employees cannot work cooperatively if they do not communicate well. If you feel that communication breakdowns are hurting the employee-manager relationships in your workplace, train your workers on effective communication practices. With extra help in this all-important area, both managers and their subordinates can better communicate wants and needs, increasing the overall harmony of your workplace.
Conflict Management
Though they shouldn’t be too common, conflicts between managers and employees will arise from time to time. If conflicts in your workplace seem to present serious issues, train your managers in conflict management strategies. Once armed with these skills, they can better resolve the conflicts that threaten to erode workplace relationships.
Diversity
Understanding and celebrating diversity are important for building relationships. Help your managers become comfortable with the presence of workplace diversity by hosting professional developments on this topic. Seek outside experts to speak about the importance of acceptance and to arm your managers with ideas for becoming more accepting of others. If your workers also seem to struggle with acceptance, hold trainings for them, as well.
Workplace Socialization
Human resource departments have the power to create programs for workers and managers. If you seek to improve relationships, make one of these programs purely social in nature. Plan some events that foster workplace sociality, such as company picnics or other outings. With these events added to the business calendar, managers within your workplace will have more time to mix and mingle with their subordinates.
