How to bond with your employees and boost their productivity

How to bond with your employees and boost their productivityGreat bosses build relationships with their employees. You dont have to be buddy-buddy with everyone in your office, but if you establish a rapport and communicate effectively with the people who work for you, youll foster a sense of trust and morale and create a better working environment for all. In fact, in arecent survey, 60% of 1,000 full-time workers questioned said their relationship with their employer positively impacted their work productivity. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Here are a few strategies for how you can create a relationship of trust and respect with your direct reports.Keep your door open.The more you make yourself accessible to your employees, the more comfortable theyll feel stopping by to discuss things with you, bring up issues that come up during the day, or float great ideas your way. Youll have a better idea of whats going on if youre not cooped u p in your office alone. If youre not sure how to encourage your employees to randomly check in, try getting a candy jar for your deskSchedule (and dont ignore) weekly one-on-ones.Structured feedback on a regular basis can be invaluable to both you and your employees. Make time for a face-to-face meeting with each direct report where you can get on the saatkorn page about existing projects and listen to concerns (while expressing any of your own), and youll start to reap the benefits.Oftentimes, a recurring meeting on the calendar can get pushed aside or even ignored because it seems useless when you see each other all day, every day. Resist the urge to cancel or to let your employee cancel. Even if you just meet for 10 minutes, that quiet, scheduled check-in time is key to learning about your employees and getting a sense of how theyre really doing.Meet outside of the boss/employee context.You shouldnt pretend to be on the same level as your employeeseveryone knows the hierarchy, so you dont want to seem like youre fooling anyone. Still, its okay to come down from your upper rung every now and then and let everyone in the workplace have an equal voice in the organization. Maybe schedule a brainstorming meeting where you, too, are responsible for coming up with ideas, or a weekly roundtable with the kollektiv where you all talk about the best thing that happened during the work week.Get together outside of the office.A few team-building activities outside of the office can go a very long way to helping you get to know your employees as actual people, not just in the context of their roles at work. Try a team lunch or a group volunteer project, and solicit ideas from the group. But please dont make people give up their weekendsschedule this non-work outing a few times a year during working hours.Offer regular encouragement.Take an interest in the career development and job satisfaction of each direct report. When someone is doing a good job, take the time to let them knowa little positive reinforcement goes a long way. Send a quick email of praise when a particular project goes well. Send an annual (or monthly) email reminding them of how much you appreciate their work. Make it clear to higher-ups when someone goes above and beyond. When your employees know you notice the little things, theyll want to be on the ball every day.Dont fake it.Above all else, you cant fake it. Valuing your employees and making them a priority takes real effort and investment. If you halfheartedly make attempts to reach out every so often, everyone will know you dont really mean it. But putting in the effort is worth itthe stronger, healthier relationships youll build will make everyone happier and more productive.

How to Deal with an Unapproachable Boss

How to Deal with an Unapproachable Boss You clench your fists and make an all-too-happy smile, attempting to mask your fear as you approach your anfhrer. Its only a quick question, you think, just a brief follow-up about last weeks meeting. But, deep down, you know the truth. Client lead or workplace emergency, youve left your anfhrers office feeling dismissed and angry many times.What is an unapproachable boss?If this situation is all too familiar to you, chances are, you have an unapproachable boss. Unapproachable bosses come in all shapes and forms. They can be the too-busy-for-you workaholic, cant-respond no-show or you-dont-know-what-youre-doing know-it-all. Basically, unapproachable bosses have the obvious in common Theyre difficult people, and you arent able to approach them. Either you dont feel comfortable going to them or logistically arent capable of reaching them (i.e. theyre always on vacation or taking a flex day).Consequently, walking on eggshells, preparing for a dism issive response or wondering if theyll be in today can leave you feeling stressed and miserable at a job you otherwise enjoy. Before you consider turning in your resignation letter, here are some tips on how to deal with your unapproachable boss and keeping your emotions from getting the better of you.How to handle an unapproachable bossTurn to emotion-focused or problem-focused coping.Emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping are two main types of coping methods we use to deal with stress. We use emotion-focused coping to decrease our distress. While we turn to problem-focused coping when we know we can change the stressful situation and take steps in advance to prevent it from happening.According to the study The impact of work overload and coping mechanisms on different dimensions of stress among university teachers, emotion-focused coping is best used when we cant do anything about the stressful situation, while problem-focused coping is great for stressful situations t hat we can change.Which coping strategy can you use?To determine which coping strategy to use with your boss, decide if the stressfaktor your unapproachable boss behavior is changeable.In other words, could your boss be unaware of their behavior and how it affects you and other employees? If addressed, do you think your boss would modify their behavior? Or would they be open to problem-solving with you on ways to strengthen communication and expectations?At the end of the day, you know your boss. From past experience and rolleality, you can determine if a straightforward heart-to-heart would work or do more harm than good. From there, you can determine which type of coping to use so you can get the most out of your job.Use problem-focused coping.If you know your boss would be receptive to hearing your feedback, use problem-focused coping, and set up a time to meet. The meeting wont be effective if your boss (or you) put up defenses. Prevent this from happening by using I statement s to avoid placing blame (e.g. I feel stressed when I dont receive a response from you on last-minute projects.).Use emotion-focused coping.If the idea of having a one-on-one meeting with your boss is out of the question her behavior is simply not going to change use emotion-focused coping to accept and reframe your situation. What valuable lesson is your bosss behavior teaching you? How can you use this lesson in your professional and personal life?When unapproachable is abusive.Theres a difference between a boss who routinely is out of the office and one who belittles and berates you. Know that some unapproachable bosses are abusive, and that under no circumstances should you have to tolerate emotional abuse. Create a paper trail, contact HR, leave your employer, and, if worst comes to worst, file a lawsuit.Even if your unapproachable boss isnt abusive and you still feel overly stressed at your job, you do not have to suck it up and stay. You dont need this kind of difficult per son in your life. There are many rewarding jobs out there where you dont have to report to a difficult, unapproachable boss.