A better manager–employee relationship comes from clear expectations, fair treatment, honest two-way conversations, and follow-through—not a one-off workshop or survey. Both people can help improve it, but managers and their organizations have particular responsibility for creating the conditions in which employees can speak up and do good work.
What a healthy working relationship looks like
A strong relationship does not require friendship or agreement on everything. It means both people understand what is expected, can raise concerns without being dismissed, and can rely on one another to address work issues respectfully.
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Managers are an important link between senior leadership and employees, but their impact depends not only on individual skill and leadership style: organizational support matters too. The CIPD’s 2023 evidence review of people managers highlights that context. A manager cannot reliably provide support, resolve problems, or develop staff without the time, authority, and backing to do so.
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Gallup attributes 70% of the variance in team engagement to the manager or team leader. That is Gallup’s estimate, not proof that a manager alone causes engagement; team conditions and wider organizational factors also shape work.
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Start with a regular, useful conversation
A consistent one-to-one gives both people a private place to clarify priorities, raise small problems before they grow, and agree on next steps. It need not be elaborate. The important parts are listening, making expectations concrete, and revisiting agreed actions.
- What is going well, and what is getting in the way?
- Which priorities or expectations are unclear?
- What support, information, or decision would help move the work forward?
- Is there feedback either of us should hear?
- What will each of us do next, and when will we check in again?
Write down key decisions or actions when useful, especially if they involve deadlines or responsibilities. At the next conversation, check what happened rather than starting over. A dependable follow-up builds credibility; repeated promises without action undermine it.
Give feedback that helps rather than harms
Feedback is not another word for criticism. It can reinforce effective work, clarify what needs to change, and give the employee a chance to explain their perspective. The CIPD’s 2022 evidence review of performance feedback notes that feedback is generally seen as a way to improve performance, but can be detrimental when it is delivered poorly.
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- Be timely and specific. Describe the work or behavior and its effect, rather than making a sweeping judgment about someone’s character.
- Be respectful. Discuss sensitive corrective feedback privately where appropriate; do not use humiliation or surprise confrontation as a management technique.
- Recognize what is working. Make praise concrete and sincere, not a formulaic preface to criticism.
- Invite the employee’s view. Ask what they intended, what constraints they faced, and what would help them improve.
- Agree on a practical next step. Identify what will change, who will help, and when to review progress.
Employees can also ask for feedback in actionable terms: “What is one thing I should continue, and one thing I should approach differently on this task?” This gives the manager an opening to be specific and makes the discussion easier to apply.
Listen, make it safe to speak, and close the loop
Asking for input only improves a relationship when people can answer honestly and see what happens next. Invite concerns and ideas without penalizing disagreement, listen without interrupting, and be candid about what can or cannot change. If an issue cannot be addressed, explain why and say whether there is another route to consider.
Gallup recommends ongoing dialogue, inviting feedback, acting on it, recognizing contributions, and tailoring support to individual needs in its employee engagement guidance. Its guidance on a manager’s listening habit likewise emphasizes the importance of making time to hear employees’ work-related concerns.
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That listening has a meaningful relationship with trust: Gallup reported in 2021 that employees who said their manager was always willing to listen to work-related problems were 4.2 times as likely to strongly agree that they trusted organizational leadership. This is an association reported by Gallup, not evidence that listening alone causes trust.
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Teamwork also depends on trust, psychological safety, shared goals, communication, information sharing, and reflection, as outlined in the CIPD’s 2023 evidence review of high-performing teams. In practice, a manager can support those conditions by sharing relevant information, explaining decisions, and making it possible to raise mistakes or risks early.
Support development and fair treatment
Employees are more likely to thrive when expectations and opportunities are handled fairly, contributions are recognized, and development is part of normal management rather than an occasional promise. Development can mean coaching on a task, access to useful feedback, a stretch assignment, or a conversation about skills and future goals.
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The CIPD says managers who treat people fairly, provide effective feedback and support, develop staff, and help employees work together are likely to have happier, healthier, higher-performing teams. Its 2023 summary of manager training and support presents these behaviors as connected, not as a single intervention that guarantees results.
Employees can help by explaining what kind of support would be useful and identifying the skills they want to build. Managers should make the discussion realistic: clarify available opportunities, constraints, and next steps instead of implying that an unapproved promotion or resource is assured.
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When frustration arises, speak privately if it is appropriate and safe to do so. Describe the specific issue, its effect on the work, and what resolution you are seeking. Focus on what can be changed next, and record agreed actions when that will prevent misunderstandings.
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Not every disagreement can or should be handled informally. For serious, persistent, or sensitive concerns, use the organization’s established HR, reporting, or grievance process and follow the policy and legal requirements that apply in your jurisdiction. The CIPD’s report on managing workplace conflict identifies managers’ capability to handle challenging people issues as a concern; it does not establish one universal grievance procedure for every workplace.
Make relationship repair a shared, supported effort
It is reasonable for employees to take part in conversations, explain needs, and follow through on commitments. But organizations should not put the whole burden on an employee or assume a manager can fix systemic problems through personal effort alone. Managers need suitable training, time to manage, clear authority, and support when issues are difficult.
If an organization is choosing an intervention—such as manager training, facilitated conversations, or changes to a feedback process—it should match the response to the problem. Consider whether the issue is a skill gap or a wider workplace condition, whether employees can participate safely, whether feedback will lead to visible action, and how progress will be assessed over time. The cited evidence does not identify one universally best intervention.
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Look for practical changes rather than relying on a single positive conversation or survey score. Useful signs include:
- Both people can describe the main priorities and expectations in similar terms.
- Work problems are raised and resolved sooner.
- Employees report being heard and treated fairly, including when they disagree.
- Agreed actions are completed or openly renegotiated.
- The team shares information, cooperates, and reflects on what could work better.
A survey can reveal patterns or prompt discussion, but gathering responses is not the same as resolving the issues they identify. Share what was heard, explain what will change and what will not, and report back after actions have been taken.
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