How to maintain a good Employee-Employer Relationship

1. Build mutual respect, but know where to
draw the line.

"[Being friends with your employees] helps
establish a respect between bosses and their workers. [I feel] it is
better to establish a level of mutual respect based on positive, close
and friendly interactions then having no respect from employees who do
not like their boss. [I]
feels this mutual respect creates a more positive atmosphere in the
work place and, as such, employees enjoy working in his company. [I
do] feel, however, that there must always be a line and does not think
actions like drinking heavily with employees shows any leadership
qualities or establishes any mutual respect. Employees have to know
they are there to deliver results, but they should be able to get
along with their boss and feel he is approachable.

2. Joke, laugh and have a good time, but don't
get personal.

"The work at my company requires a mix of creativity and analytical
thinking so it is important for me to maintain the right tone in my
office. I genuinely care about each of my
employees and I am friendly to all of them.
After all, work should be fun right? However, I
avoid becoming friends with them by not asking
personal questions. For example, my assistant's
sister got married last weekend. When she
returned to the office on Monday I asked how
the wedding was and if she had fun, but I didn't
ask for details. Once she indicated it was fun, I
told her I am glad she had a good time and
changed the subject. We joke, we laugh, and we
have a good time; we just don't get too personal."

3. Employer — employee relationships help startups thrive.

"In a startup environment, I believe you should treat employees like
friends. When starting a
company, especially with low funding, you need to keep the
friendliness high because often a
strong business mentality can be mistaken for being unfriendly or
rude. A perfect example is Steve Jobs. Some viewed him as a dictator
where others saw him as a visionary. Sometimes greatness can be misunderstood."


4. Be friendly with employees on a case-by-case basis.

"Treating employees like friends is a delicate
balance between understanding their level of maturity, capability and
motivation and not
clouding the boundaries between a working
relationship and acquaintance. A relationship with a mature,
competent and motivated employee can quite easily become one of
friendship and someone of quality will
recognize that eventually the boss has the last say, when a business
issue is involved. A relationship with a less mature (possibly
younger) or less worldly employee should always be kept on a work
related basis, since
the boundary between company success and
employee errors may cause moments of
awkwardness, particularly if a worker is not performing to standards
expected by the management."


5. Treat employees like friends — always.

"You should treat employees like friends
because it's easier to create a mutual respect
that way. Employees should not respect you just because you have the
title of 'boss,' but because they know you're doing what is right for
the company and [themselves]. It's easier for them to know this when
you have a personal friend
relationship and not just a work relationship."