What Employees Expect From the Boss
Clear Expectations Between Subordinates and Manager
Aug 21, 2009 Jennifer Harshman
Expectations at work are not always communicated well. Sometimes employees do not communicate with managers, and sometimes managers are not effective at communicating their expectations.
Expectations are a Two-Way Street - Communication Also Should go Both Ways.
Employees have expectations regarding the boss, just as the boss has expectations of the employees. Managers are expected to make their expectations clear. It’s part of the job description. Employees, on the other hand, may or may not be encouraged or even allowed to do so.
Some managers are not open to communication from employees. Angie (last name withheld), a factory-floor employee at a Walgreen's Distribution Center, explained, "There are function leads that you go to, and there are function leads that you stay away from because they don't care. One of the managers cares; with the rest, don't waste your time."
Clearly, effective communication in the workplace is important. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing People (1995) states, “We live in a world where communication…can determine whether you succeed or fail.”
A Restaurant is Like a Classroom
Starting a job as a restaurant manager can be likened to a new year of teaching in a classroom.
- The employees need strong leadership just as students do.
- Both groups will do whatever they can get away with doing, if that leadership is lacking.
- To be successful, the leader must start off with firm boundaries and clear expectations.
Harry Wong explains in The First Days of School (1998), that if a teacher does not start with those firm boundaries and clear expectations, things will go downhill quickly and the teacher might never recover. An experienced manager at Chili's in Farmington, New Mexico, USA, thinks the comparison is valid, if a little generous. "Managing is more like babysitting."
What Employees Expect From the Manager
Workers commonly look to managers to be bastions of knowledge, having knowledge that they themselves do not possess. They expect competent leaders who are able to answer questions. If a manager is unable to give satisfactory answers, or if the supervisor appears to lack confidence or leadership ability, employees will quickly lose respect for that manager.
Employees, in varying degrees, look to their manager for leadership and security. A manager must be confident in leading the team. If a manager is timid or too lenient, mavericks will go their own way and will soon go against the manager, creating a difficult situation. Managers who are technically strong but are weak leaders can find help through training courses. Some of them can be found online.
If the manager cannot quickly bring the defiant employee under his leadership, the manager will have to get rid of the trouble-maker. This is often done through transfer, demotion or termination.
Managers Should Make Changes When They Start a New Job
The Successful Manager’s Handbook (2001) encourages managers to get off to a good start. Managers should hit the ground running and have an impact on the organization within the first 100 days. When a manager is new, the expectation is that he or she will come in and make changes, get things going, and improve the business.
If a manager doesn't take action and make big changes within the first 100 days, it is much less likely that the manager will ever make those changes. Depending on the company culture, the manager might be fired if she or he doesn't make the right changes quickly enough. When starting a new job, a manager should be prepared to make changes immediately.
Difficult Employees Make Manager's Job Harder
Disrespectful subordinates usually make a manager’s job more difficult. Mr. Zacharie King, a restaurant manager for national chains such as Chili’s and Red Lobster, stated in an interview with Suite101.com, “If a particular manager does not have the respect of his or her subordinates, or at least most of them, it won’t be long before that manager will be out of a job.”
Some employees cannot be pleased, no matter what a manager tries to do. Some employees will be disgruntled with any situation, in any position, at any company. Those people will be the exception, however. Rather than using that as an excuse not to try, managers should strive to clarify and meet the reasonable expectations employees will have, because have expectations they will.
Employees Expect More than Just a Stuffed Shirt
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