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A Healthy Manager-Employee Relationship Is Crucial, According To 72% Of Middle East Professionals
Published Jan 5, 2010
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A healthy manager-employee relationship is deemed to be essential by professionals in the region, according to a recent poll by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site. The study found that 72% of the Middle East’s professionals- who have participated to the online poll series- consider a healthy relationship with their direct manager to be very important in the workplace, while 14%consider it important to a certain extent and 10%believe that it really depends on the nature of the position.
The “Manager- Employee Relationship in the Middle East Workplace” poll was conducted in order to assess the significance of employee-manager relationships in the Middle East and the level of satisfaction with managers in the region. It also examined the effects of an unhealthy working relationship between employees and managers and explored what could be done to improve any dissatisfaction in the workplace in the future.
“This report has given an interesting insight into professionals’ experiences and attitudes in the Middle East with regard to employee-manager relationships. The fact that the vast majority consider a healthy working relationship with their boss to be vital illustrates the importance of this poll,” commented Amer Zureikat, regional manager, Bayt.com.
Among the key points addressed during the poll, 27% of professionals revealed that they rate their relationship with their direct manager in the workplace as excellent, citing their manager as not only a boss but a mentor while and 31%consider their relationship to be quite good, with a mutual respect and smooth communication channel between the two parties. However, 24%of those questioned disclosed that their relationship with their manager is not stable and usually depends on the boss’s mood, while an astonishing 17%revealedthe relationship is bad and they are not on the same wave length with their boss at all.
“While many respondents were happy with their managers, a good number of working professionals in the Middle East seemed dissatisfied with their relationship with their boss. This indicates that there is some headway to be made in improving employee-manager relationships in the region,” commented Zureikat.
The poll asked the respondents what they thought the effects of an unhealthy manager-employee relationship in the workplace would be: 17%said low employee motivation could be a knock-on effect, 13%cited a stressful work environment for both manager and employee, 12%thought it could lead to unfinished job tasks and 54%mentioned all of these as possible outcomes of an unhealthy relationship with their boss.
In order to decipher how workplace relationships could be improved, the poll then asked which qualities in a manager would make it easiest to maintain a strong manager-employee relationship. Almost a quarter of respondents - 24%- said that effective communication is key, 23%said good leadership skills is key, 22%thought mutual respect is important, 10% cited trust in employees and 14% mentioned leading by example as a good management quality.
“Having assessed the level of satisfaction with management in the workplace, respondents were asked various questions on what they thought could be done to improve manager-employee relationships, revealing that many employees value managers with good communication and leadership skills. This gives some indication as to how best to improve relationships in the workplace,” commented Zureikat.
When asked what their company does to promote healthy manager-employee relationships at work, 37% affirmed that their company did so on every possible occasion, 18%said efforts were made from time to time, while over a third of respondents- 32%- stated that they did not think their company did anything to promote good working relationships between managers and employees.
“These results show that companies in the region do take an interest in developing healthy working relationships. However, many respondents also revealed that a good percentage of companies do not make significant efforts in monitoring manager-employee relationships, which is an issue that clearly needs to be addressed,” stated Zureikat.
Respondents were finally asked how they thought their company could best interfere to promote a healthier manager-employee relationship, which revealed that 38%thought more frequent appraisals would have a positive impact, 11%said more emphasis on communication, 7% suggested more management training and 5 % said more outdoor activities to help see another side of the boss. Over a third of those asked 31%- thought that all of these factors would contribute to a healthier working relationship between manager and employee.
Data for the ‘Manager-Employee Relationships in the Middle East Workplace’ online poll series was collected between the period of November 17 and December 28, 2009 with a total of 14,380 respondents from across the Middle East. This and other Middle East human resources research is available online at www.bayt.com.
For further enquiries:
Bayt.com contacts
Peggy Chamoun
Senior Marketing Manager
peg@bayt.net
Tel: 04 391 1900
Gregory Henderson
Manning, Selvage & Lee (MS&L)
Tel: +971 4 367 6275
Fax: 971 4 367 2615
Email: Gregory.henderson@dubai.mslpr.com
Posted by
VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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