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As a manager, is it important for your employees to like you?
Results so far:
| Yes | 65% | 940 votes | Total: 1445 votes | |
| No | 35% | 505 votes |
Yes
by Todd Pheifer
Created on: December 07, 2007
Someone once said that people don't leave companies, they leave people. While this isn't universally true, think about the conversations you have around the water cooler regarding the "company". Chances are, your conversations often center around individuals and the work that they are, or are not doing. As much as we want to hide behind titles, organizational charts, and infrastructure, we are still human beings and we need to interact. Therefore, who we "like" plays a role, and sometimes that role is the defining factor in the relationship.
As a manager, you do sometimes have to walk a fine line between being a "friend" and being "the boss". The supervisor must deal with poor performances, discipline, firing, and relational issues. Therefore, it is often difficult for the manager to be "just one of the gang" in a work situation. That said, the word "like" may not be descriptive enough in this situation, though it is one step in the relational process. When you like someone, you are more likely to respect that person or feel some sense of trust between you and that individual. This is applicable in the work setting, as well as in personal relationships. Employees that like their boss are more prone to trust and respect their boss which can lead to increased productivity and a more pleasant work environment.
Of course, liking someone doesn't necessarily mean that respect and trust automatically follow. You can like a person but be fully aware of their shortcomings. In a work situation, you can "like" your supervisor as a person due to common interests or the supervisors natural personality, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best person for the actual job.
It is also possible to dislike a person, but still respect them enough to work for them without major problems. Some personalities just do not bond very easily, so it is possible for people to not have a strong "like" for each other but still have common organizational goals. This commonality can create a good "working relationship" that is more functional than interpersonal. Many people find it perfectly normal to co-exist with their fellow workers without strong social bonds. Overall, I will argue that it is important for employees to like their manager if they want a working environment that is more likely to create community and productivity. However, I will not go so far as to say that it is a requirement, as relationships in the work environment can take many forms and produce a variety of outcomes.
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No
by Kevan Simpson
Created on: April 14, 2009 Last Updated: April 17, 2009
As a college student majoring in business management I have a clear idea just how I would like to run my business. I helped my grandpa with his business since I was 12 years old and learned much of what I know about managerial strategies from him as well. In regards to employee's liking you it has it's ups and downs. You want to build a relationship with your employee's so as to keep camaraderie strong within the workforce, but you don't want it to become a situation where employee's get too relaxed and look at you as a friend rather than as a boss. A business thrives on production not how friendly the environment is, even though it doesn't hurt to keep a balance of both.
To keep a strong and successful business running you must remember to keep customers happy as well as the employee's, because without the workers a business can go into the tank before it even gets started. Keep it business and professional while mixing in a little love and compassion for each employee's situation. Knowing each employee by name let's them know that you recognize them as an individual and not just as a means of making you money. You don't need every employee to like you but you do need every employee to respect you, simply because if one employee displays no respect without any disciplinary actions being presented as a consequence, than you can expect a domino effect from other employee's, which will cause chaos within the workplace because of no structure.
Fraternizi ng with the employees is insubordination, so getting too close to employees outside of work is unacceptable. Keeping all interactions within the business parameters helps to keep a healthy and professional relationship between you and the employee so as not to complicate and confuse matters.
One way to keep employees happy is to show your appreciation for their hard work. Setting up bonuses for improved and peak performances can help to motivate the employee's to give their best efforts to the company. As an incentive, you can set company goals, and when those goals are met you can set aside some time to reward your employee's whichever way you feel fit.
It's a wonderful thing to be well liked within the company, but respect is the main cog that keeps the boat moving and keeps it on course. As long as that aspect of the relationship is intact then business can get handled the way it should with no sidetracks involved. Keeping it business and professional while mixing in a little fun can definitely make for a healthy workplace.
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