Let us remain cognizant of, and respectful to, those dynamics that formulate an employment relationship. An employment relationship refers to the relationship between an employee and an employer for whom the employee performs work under certain conditions in return for remuneration.
Within the employment relationship, reciprocal rights and obligations are created between the employee and employer.
Some research has suggested that it is helpful to look at the employer-employee relationship as a series of promises. For instance, employers promise money and job support, while an employee promises to perform his/her job to the best of their ability.
The relationship between employee and employer is sometimes fragile. Having said this, there are some considerations to note.
Employees should be aware that the stability of their lifestyle hinges on the satisfaction of their employers with the value that they add to the organisation.
While a draconian level of commitment is never expected, or rather is not conducive to high levels of productivity, employees must consider that their productivity levels and their brand are very much correlated.
In a time where job stability has come upon shaky ground, a positive brand, molded by work habits that give genuine consideration to the employers’ expectations, will always make the difference between an abrupt halt to tenure or outside opportunities.
Employers, be mindful that if employees’ concerns are disregarded, that could lead to a number of important and sometimes expensive problems.
Besides turnover, workplace violence is also a risk to the business if employees become disgruntled. Employees who feel slighted by managers may also compromise the security of the company’s proprietary information by either sharing trade secrets or taking that valuable knowledge to another competing business.
A company that doesn’t foster a productive relationship between employees and employers may also develop a poor reputation within its industry.
Employers have taken steps towards improving the employee and manager relationship to faciliate a highly productive and happy workplace.
For one, many have implemented employee recognition or reward programmes to thank workers for a job well done. Some companies have meetings and regular mediums for communication between employees and managers, as they see this as also important, especially if workers feel disconnected from the management of the comapny. However, there must be reciprocity in this regard.
So, what steps can employees take to improve the employee and manager/employer relationship? Employees can be punctual for the job; deliver their best on the job if they succeed the company succeeds as well; be true to all core values such as honesty and integrity; and be cooperative with your employers; to name a few.
It is this reciprocity that should have been your focal point when making your decisions throughout the recent holiday season. At that time of the year we usually become consumed with our household chores; we become overwhelmed with the day to day shopping; so much so that we often forget about productivity during the holidays. Work-life balance is the profound concept that speaks to proper prioritising between work and lifestyle or should I say lifestyle choice.
While this is a topic that causes immense discussion, only the general connotation is to be taken within this particular context. We encourage employers to keep the law in mind when setting their opening hours. Consider the health and safety repercussions when best practices are not followed, where possible allow for some flexibility within the workforce that does not disrupt productivity. Employees, do not take advantage of any flexibility offered.
This new year will see new goals being set, individual and company based; operations are returning to business as usual, however, the choices you made or the behaviour you protrayed during the recent Christmas season will still be remembered with consequences to follow.
