Worker's Relationships with their Supervisor

Do you get along with your boss? Having a good relationship with your boss or supervisor is a fundamental part of a good job. In fact, many employees say this is more important to them than pay or fringe benefits. And when self-employed individuals are asked about why they started their own business, many report that they chose to work independently in part because they did not get along with their boss.

Getting Along With The Boss: One In Three Employees Get Along Very Well 

As the chart indicates, about one-third of Canadian employees (30 percent) strongly agree that their relation with their supervisor is good. In contrast, just over one in ten (13 percent) don’t have a good relationship with their boss. Women tend to be more positive about this relationship than men. Younger workers are somewhat more positive than older age groups, but these differences are minor.

By Industry

Assessments of supervisory relationships vary noticeably by industry. Among employees in education, 41 percent strongly agree that they have a good relationship with their supervisor (presumably a principal or vice-principal). This makes sense, given the team approach taken in most schools. No doubt, there are other lessons that we can learn from schools when it comes to high quality supervision. Employees in health care and social assistance are among the least likely to have a good relationship with their boss. The size of a firm appears to have little effect on the quality of the relationship between employees and supervisors.

By Outcomes

Getting Along With the Boss: Associated With Healthy Work Environments, Morale, Retention and Job Satisfaction

Promoting a healthy relationship between supervisors and workers is crucial for employers who want to establish a high quality work environment. An employee’s relationship with their boss is strongly associated with how workers feel about the overall ‘health’ of their workplace. For instance, employees who report having a good relationship with their supervisor are twice as likely to characterize their work environment as ‘healthy’ (85 percent) when compared with employees who do not get along with their boss (42 percent). Workers who do not get along with their boss often express less satisfaction with their job, will be less motivated at work, and will be more likely to quit and seek work elsewhere.

These indicators of employee -- supervisor relationships open up a much larger discussion of the ingredients of effective supervision. A separate indicator examines feedback, which is part of this package. But there are other behaviours associated with effective supervision, such as listening, being respectful, being available, showing concern for employees’ welfare, helping employees to develop their skills and careers – to name but a few. These are learned behaviours. So employers seeking improvements in the quality of the work environment should ensure that supervisors have adequate opportunities to develop these skills and provide incentives to put them into practice.

Additional Charts and Information