Does your boss support you? Most people would say “yes—and no.” It often depends on the situation.
I once had a boss who supported me in terms of good reviews (when I received reviews) and salary increases. I couldn’t complain about that, right? But, this boss left me out of meetings and was not transparent about her actions. She was competitive and made sure I had little to no interaction with other teams so that she could be in the spotlight. Because of these actions, she was detrimental to my professional success and growth within the company. Professional relationships are built on trust and commitment, and she was not holding up her end of that relationship.
Employees who believe their company cares for them perform better. What value does an employer place on you as an employee? Are you there simply to get the job done and then go home? Are you paid fairly, well-trained and confident in your job security? Do you work under good job conditions? Do you receive constructive feedback, or do you feel demeaned or invisible?
In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we’re sharing these valuable tips from Forbes contributor and digital marketing specialist, Sarah Landrum, on how to have a healthy and happy relationship with your boss.
Invest In A Relationship With Your Boss. When you’re first hired, you should get to know your company’s culture and closely watch your boss as you learn the ropes. Regardless of your boss’s communication style, speaking up on timely matters before consequences are out of your control builds trust and establishes healthy communication. Getting to know your boss begins with knowing how he or she moves through the business day, including their moods, how they prefer to communicate and their style of leadership.
Mood: Perhaps your boss needs a cup of coffee to start the day. If you see other employees scurry away before the boss drains that cup of coffee, bide your time, too.
Communication: If you have important news, deliver it to your boss promptly. Use email or a phone call to check in, and schedule a meeting for in-depth topics. Show you respect your boss’s time, and, in return, your time will be respected, too. Remember, everyone has a different style of communication and you must respect your boss’s style. For example, some bosses may appear cold in anecdotal discussions, but their analytical style may prefer discussions based on hard data.
Leadership: What kind of leader is your boss? Autocratic leaders assume total authority on decision-making without input or challenge from others. Participative leaders value the democratic input of team members, but retain the authority to make the final decision.
A Healthy Relationship With Leaders Makes The Company Better. A Gallup report reveals that 71 percent of Millennials aren’t engaged on the job and half of all respondents are planning to leave their current job within a year. What is the cause? Bosses are responsible for 70 percent of employee engagement, and engaged bosses are 59 percent more prone to having and retaining engaged employees.
These bosses exhibit supportive behaviors such as being accessible for discussions, motivating according to an employee’s strengths rather than weaknesses, and helping to set goals. The most positive engagement booster was identified as when managers focus on employee strengths. According to the report, the people responsible most often for employee retention and engagement are those in leadership positions. The boss is poised to directly affect employee happiness, satisfaction, productivity and performance.
The same report reveals that only 21 percent of Millennial employees meet weekly with their boss and 17 percent receive meaningful feedback. In the end, one out of every two employees will leave a job to get away from their boss when unsupported.
A healthy relationship between boss and employee is vital to company success, and is especially important to the progression of careers among Millennials as the workforce continues to age.
Read PCT again tomorrow when we will talk about customer reviews.
Source: Sarah Landrum writes about how Millennials can be happier at work. She is also a digital marketing specialist, freelance writer and the founder of Punched Clocks, a career advice blog that focuses on happiness and creating a career you love.
