A poor relationship with your manager can be detrimental: both in the work you produce and your quality of life. Our COO, Maureen Hoersten, uncovers ways to get to the root of bad relationships at work, and tangible tips to repair them. Here’s a glimpse of insights she shared in a podcast with the Journal of Accountancy:
Signs you have a bad relationship with your manager:
There are common signs your relationship may be less than healthy like disengagement and short communication. Ask yourself: has something changed? Are you getting less feedback or training as you did before, or is the opposite true and you’re suddenly being micromanaged? Evaluate how the relationship is evolving to determine if it’s going down the right path.
Determining the source of the problem:
The key to getting to the root of the relationship issue is to communicate. For instance, you may think something’s going on at work, but it the issue could really lie in your personal life. Whether it’s health related or a family issue, you may be bringing it into work with you, causing you to overanalyze the relationship with your boss. On the flip side, personal factors could be affecting your boss! The less time and attention they’re providing may have more to do with their personal stressors than your work. But you won’t know until you communicate.
Have a one on one and ask if you’re not hitting expectations. Try to open up and be vulnerable to pinpoint where the problem is. It may have nothing to do with you and your work, but you must overcommunicate to get to the root of the problem.
How to fix the relationship:
Not only can the problem be determined by communication, it can be solved. They key is not just to communicate, but overcommunicate. For instance, if you’re working on a project with deadlines, consider (over)communicating the process as you go. Instead of waiting until it’s complete, give an email update or leave a voicemail with your progress. In other words- go above and beyond, exceeding expectations for communication. When your boss is running multiple groups or has a lot going on, little updates go a long way. No one wants to be left in the dark, and overcommunication can help your manager keep you on track as you go.
To mend a poor relationship with your boss, ask what you can do to get better. If it’s due to the quality of your work, what courses can you take, or books can you read to improve? Ask yourself: are you approachable, do you overcommunicate, do you come to the office a bit earlier or stay later to show that you care? If your boss doesn’t think you’re committed, show them that you can go above and beyond.
If you feel you’re being micromanaged, you may need to dig deep and think about why your boss is micromanaging you. Is there an issue with the quality of your work or hitting deadlines? Are you meeting and exceeding expectations? You need to know how you are performing before you can move on.
When to look elsewhere:
If you’ve done everything you can to repair the relationship, given it time and nothing’s changed. Evaluate whether it’s time to move on. When it’s starting to affect your personal life, you keep asking the same questions with no acknowledgment or results, you may not be in the right position. Even if you feel it may not be the right place for you, try to give it time. Mending relationships with a manager may not be an overnight fix. People can turn relationships around; you just have to make sure you’re in alignment with your boss and their expectations through effective communication.
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