Navigating Communication Between Supervisor and Employee

Insight Into Employee and Supervisor Communication

There's one thing you will see time and time again mentioned in job descriptions and applications- communication. Navigating communication between supervisor and employee successfully can be the difference between a happy, thriving workplace and one that's struggling to get by. Could it be time to make sure your entire team has this one vital skill?

Importance of Communication Between Employees and Supervisors

Both verbal and written communication skills are the crux of any successful workplace. They not only prove useful for workers to voice their concerns but for supervisors and managers to outline their expectations and solve any problems that arise. But how else can this vital skill be beneficial for business?
Performance Milestones
For business managers and supervisors to get ahead, they have to prove they have a set of desirable skills that can benefit their business and someone else's. Being able to provide effective communication with those above and below them in the chain of command can open many doors in the future.
After all, if employees feel comfortable and confident in bringing up issues and changes within an establishment, then they can move mountains.
Performance Management
Alongside benefiting your own career, navigating effective communication between supervisor and employer can also allow you to manage others' performance.
Good communication needs to stem from an openness within the office. By opening the lines of overall employee communication it can enable any workers to voice concerns they have about their jobs.

It also allows a supervisor to feel comfortable about addressing performance issues at the same time. When you require change, you can communicate the need for it without any crossed wires.
Conflict Resolution
Unhealthy workplace communication can make you feel insecure and unfulfilled in your work. So, it makes sense for healthy workplace communication to have the opposite effect. Rather than attack and be attacked, both parties can voice their concerns and find common ground or a solution.
Team Relationships
A Harvard Business Review revealed that nearly 60 percent of employees would trust a stranger more than their boss. What's more, the number one thing that workers want more than a pay rise or even a promotion is recognition.
However, unless you communicate your wants, needs, and issues in the workplace, you may never get what you want. Imagine how easily you could turn things around just by telling your team you appreciate them, or by telling your boss that you have a problem? This is the benefit of having good communication as a staple in the workplace.

Ways to Improve Communication Between Supervisors and Employees

It's surprising to think that one skill, communication, can have a dramatic effect on workplace success, but it can. When you learn how valuable improving communication between supervisors and employees can be, you will surely be jumping at the chance of learning how to do it.
Schedule Weekly Meetings
It's true; meetings can be a bit of a drag. Still, they can also open the lines of communication that can all too easily become severed and contribute to poor communication within the workplace.

Get together with your team at least once per week to go over current projects, any challenges, and questions. If you believe some team members don't want to address concerns in public, make sure they know your door is always open.
Informal Chats
Many business managers are shut away in their office separate from their workers. While this is the norm,' it can also offer the illusion that you're not an approachable leader who's open to communicating.
To combat this problem, allocate blocks of time for informal chats. Walk around your departments, talk to people, give feedback and take notes of issues you need to address. Follow up again when you have made progress to show you're genuine.
Use Technology
We live in a very advanced technological age. So, it makes complete sense to use what can improve your business. Make sure you have at least one platform for staff communication of all kinds.

This might be a workplace intranet, a chat app, or even a team project platform. All of these can be of assistance in making sure everyone is on the same page with communication.

Conclusion

Throughout time, communication has been essential in home and work life. We've seen time and time again how breakdowns in this one thing can create wars, split families, and divide countries. So, it makes sense that encouraging it in your workplace can only but benefit daily operations-

• Make sure your workers feel welcome to come to you with any concerns.
• Understand how valuable it can be for business relationships and career advancements.
• Keep the lines of communication open at all times.
• Rely on communication for conflict resolution, and for preventing conflicts in the first place.