Within the retail industry, successful communication is one of the biggest predictors of success. In particular, communication between managers and their employees is essential for serving the needs of customers out in the marketplace. While this problem is very real, the good news for today’s employees and managers is that there are legitimate ways to fix it. Certain behaviors – exhibited on both sides of the problem – can help to bridge the communication gap that keeps employees from achieving their goals and managers from moving businesses forward. The solutions to this communication problem should focus on some combination of socialization, trust, etiquette, and respect.
Socialization is perhaps the best strategy to improve communication between these two parties. There are many benefits to socialization. For one, it allows the different parties an alternative avenue for communicating important updates to projects and the like (Scarlett, 2006). Communication through intra-office email is nice and all, but those communications can often get lost. Socialization provides direct opportunities for a legitimate exchange of information that involves not just one-way direction but a give and take between the manager and the employee. In addition, a dedication to socialization allows the manager and employee to have a more meaningful connection, meaning that the manager will better understand what communication needs the employee has, and the employee will better understand the gist of what the manager is trying to get done.
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Trust is a factor that can be built through several behaviors in the workplace. Ultimately, it is built over time, so there is no substitute for good continuity between employees and their managers (Whitener et al, 1998). At the same time, various exercises can ensure that trust is being built on both sides. While traditional team-building exercises might seem overdone and useless, small things that build connections between the two sides can matter. Trust can be built when managers allow employees some autonomy over projects and in a cooperative group setting.
Etiquette matters in the workplace, and if it does not exist, it can serve as a significant barrier to successful communication between the parties. There are certain things implicit in etiquette. Etiquette involves the manager not making the employee feel foolish and providing the employee with at least some ability to do his or her job in peace. From the employee’s perspective, practicing etiquette might mean not questioning his or her boss in public, but rather, dealing with any issue in a private conversation. This helps to build the bonds of connection between the two sides.
In order for there to be positive communication between the two sides, there must be a mutual feeling of respect. Communication is ultimately a platform where a host of assumptions come into play. More than that, it is a platform where context and perceived power matters. Respect is a major issue mostly because in the employee-manager relationship, there is a distinct difference in position and power. The manager must come to respect the employee not as someone inferior, but as a critical part of a team. An employee, on the other hand, should respect the constraints of the manager’s position, noting that at times, he is having to handle a wide range of employees and must be harsh in some ways.
Improving communication between these two sides is absolutely critical to the success of any business. It is even more critical when that business is in the retail industry. While there are many things that will make it difficult for managers and employees to have clear, unfettered communication, there are behaviors – socialization and practicing good etiquette – which built trust and foster mutual respect among parties that are truly in the battle together.
- Scarlett, H. (2006). Manager-Employee Communication. The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing and Leadership, 2, 215.
- Whitener, E. M., Brodt, S. E., Korsgaard, M. A., & Werner, J. M. (1998). Managers as initiators of trust: An exchange relationship framework for understanding managerial trustworthy behavior. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 513-530.
