Nicholas Emerson

Professor Price
CIS 110- 010
23 February 2015

Power Difference: Boss-Employee Communication

How does someone instantly understand successful communication, and the key points of
communication? It doesnt just happen overnight, and takes time to develop positive
communication skills, but once developed, success is almost guaranteed in the workplace. The
topic of this paper is about miscommunication in the workplace, but more specifically it will be
focused on Boss-Employee interactions and what affect it can leave on a company or business.
Understanding what suitable verbal and nonverbal communication is and utilizing this
communication in the workplace leads to success, not only with supervisors, but with everyday
relations as well. But what is workplace communication? Study.com describes workplace
communication as the process of exchanging information, both verbal and non-verbal, within
an organization. As simple as it sounds, having a boss typically comes with having a boss. That
being said, understanding this relationship can be very difficult for some. Central to this idea is
understanding the difference between verbal and nonverbal communication, recognizing the
qualifications it takes to become a leader, and the end result of successful communication.
Is it possible to have good communication with your supervisors if you dont understand
the usual hierarchy of a company? Possibly, but it will be more difficult and also add unneeded
stress. S. Heathfield breaks down the usual organizational structure or chain of command in her

article Chain of Command. Heathfield states If you look at the Chain of Command like an
organizational chart then the president or CEO is the top employee, and his or her directly
reporting staff are shown on the second line of the chart. Their directly reporting staff is third line
and so forth down through the reporting levels in an organization. Understanding what your
position is within the organization is not only crucial for communication but also to keep your
position within the company. After reading the article, it felt as if the workplace was a
dictatorship and that if you are within the lower charts of the chain of command your self-value
within the company is minimal, but there are advantages for hierarchy in the workplace. Luanne
Kelchner states Each employee is responsible for a particular area of business, and with the
Company Chain of Command graph it holds each employee accountable. This statement is from
The Importance of Following the Chain of Command in Business. Having accountability is
crucial or your career wont last long, and understanding your role within your business will
allow you to have successful communication with your supervisors. Most people struggle from
the transition of being a student to a responsible employee, as the new employees do not
understand how to communicate within a formal business setting. As a new employee it is vital
to know and understand your managers expectations of you from the beginning. Few companies
ever expect you to completely understand how their business is run and how to succeed instantly,
and thats why there is your training period. Your training period is a designated period of time
for you to grasp the basics of your job and allows you to start synchronizing with the companys
routines. In her article How to Get a New Employee to Communicate With a Manager,
Markovinch states, Often a lack of effective workplace communication stems from lack of
instruction. Previously stated each employee must be accountable, and this is one of the most
detrimental periods of time because if you dont acquire the fundamental communication skills

your supervisors expect from you from the beginning you will unfortunately conflict with not
only the supervisors but the other employees as well. So understanding the basic concepts of
successful communication is extremely important for you to succeed in the workplace.
The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.A Kenneth Blanchard
quote from Forbes. There is a difference between listening and hearing, and thats a factoring
characteristic if your boss is a leader or a tyrant. Regardless of your emotions towards him/her,
one should always be calm, and professional towards superiors. This will be difficult at times,
but it is also a bosss job to ensure employees are satisfied and operations are running smooth,
but according to Time Business 64% of employees quit their jobs because they dont feel
appreciated. Effective communication within a workplace is not a one-way street you must be
professional, but it is also the bosss job to maintain strong communication skills as well. Susan
S. LaMottes article Want to Keep Your Employees and Coworkers Happy? Say Thank You
Today states: Being able to track effectiveness of engagement and recognition efforts can help
businesses better align engagements with business objectives and improve performance.
Companies understand that their employees want to be recognized for their hard work and over
75% of companies have recognition programs. This is challenging for most employees to grasp
that this is their way of saying thank you, because this doesnt seem like any form of work place
communication, because this seems standard. Regardless of position within in the hierarchy
everyone must communicate or productivity will decrease and cause problems throughout the
workplace.
Being professional at work can sometimes be intimidating and new to some people
especially when they lack the basic fundamentals. One of the most important factors of being
professional is looking professional. For a male the bare minimum should be an ironed, collar

shirt (long sleeves) a tie, khakis that should also be ironed and lastly dress shoes. Forget the
expression It doesnt matter how you look because that is incorrect in business settings, and
you only get one first impression so make sure you look and behave the part. Second sometimes
communication doesnt have to be verbal, a persons body language will most of the time say
more than the person ever can. Throughout the research I have conducted the little things are
what makes a person standout. If thats the case these ideas will give you an advantage. Looking
interested and looking focused will gives the perception of professionalism which gives you an
advantage in a formal setting.. No employer wants to deal with a person that doesnt look
engaged in a conversation.. People want to be heard so listening carefully is crucial. Allowing
coworkers/clients time to speak and explain their ideas. Lastly punctuality and reliability are
some of the most important characters in being professional. There arent many things that are
less professional than being late and it also gives off the opinion that your time is more valuable
than someone elses. This is an example of non-verbal communication that isnt tolerated in a
working environment. Punctuality is the soul of business. This is a quote by Thomas C.
Haliburton.

found on maximizesocialbusiness.com

Up to this point I have discussed what effective communication is and the benefits, but
not everyone can communicate effectively, and the repercussions for this can be serious. But
anger and hostility can manifest themselves in other, less dramatic ways, that can nonetheless
have a tremendously negative impact on a business by producing an environment marked by
poor or nonexistent communication, sagging morale, excessive employee absenteeism or
turnover, and a host of other undesired conditions. This is a quote from INC.coms article
Workplace Anger. Hostility and unproductivity are never welcome in any business and it
certainly is poor communication. Normally when there is tension and less productivity thats the
supervisors position to fix the current situation, and remaining professional. How a supervisor
handles the situation demonstrates his/her leadership qualities and that alone can improve
communication. The manager is supposed to lead by example, so make sure you follow the
correct example.

This quote by Glasgow stands for a powerful message for workplace communication, but
how do you become a leader? "Power isn't control at all--power is strength, and giving that
strength to others. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger, a leader is
someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their
own." An inspiring quote by Beth Revis. Throughout my work experience I have learned to grasp
the difference between a leader and a boss. Leadership is essential for good communication, the

reason for that is because you can inspire others to work more diligently, and give them a reason
to love their job.

found on leadershipqualities.com
I interviewed my uncle, Mark Brodsky to get a different source and first hand experience
of what can happen if an employee fails to communicate correctly within a business. Being that
he is Vice President of Public Banking Services, he has had a lot of experience both positively
and negatively in the workplace. The first question I asked my uncle was If an employee cant
successfully communicate with his coworkers and supervisors can he/she succeed at your
company? His response No, he or she wont be able to succeed at Public Banking Services but
they wont be able to be successful in the working world in general. Communication is the most
fundamental part of the business world, if an employee fails to do task or assignments because of
communication issues and the failure was on their end, then they wont last more than a month at
my company. We learned in training what our supervisors expect from us in our position, and Ill

never forget on my first day I received an hour lecture about what they expect from me, and that
failure to do so I would be out of a job. My second question that I asked him was As a new
employee is being terrified of your boss attribute to not wanting to communicate as often? His
response Stepping into a first job straight into the working world is the most terrifying
experience other than holding your child for the first time thinking you wont succeed as a
parent, but yes I do believe thats why a lot of young kids dont work out here. I remember and
understand that feeling and not wanting to speak up, but I remembered they hired me for a reason
and thats what kept me motivated to succeed. The worst part of being a new employee is almost
being scared to ask your boss questions, and thats a huge mistake. As a new employee that is the
best time to ask a million questions because it shows interest in your job and it shows you are
ready to understand the company so many people are scared to just ask a simple question and
thats the biggest tragedy when it comes to employee-boss communication.

Throughout this paper I have emphasized the importance of workplace communication,

and the consequences that can occur if communication within the workplace is not done well.
Now after breaking down the hierarchy, explaining what leadership in the workplace is, and
helping you to develop good workplace communication tips and basics, workplace
communication should be no problem with your boss or co-workers.

Reference:
Corrigan, Lori. (2014, February 13). The Importance of Hierarchy In the Workplace. Retrieved
from: http://woman.thenest.com/importance-hierarchy-workplace-19343.html
Heathfield, Susan. (2014, April 11). Chain of Command. Retrieved
from:http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryc/g/chain-of-command.htm
Kelchner, Luanne. ( 2012, October 27). The Importance of Following the Chain of Command in
Business. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-following-chaincommand-business-23560.html
LaMotte, Susan S. (2015, March 11). Want to Keep Your Employees and Coworkers Happy? Say
Thank You Today. Retrieved from: http://time.com/3740468/want-to-keep-your-employeesand-coworkers-happy-say-thank-you-today/
Markovich, Miki. (2015, July 6). How to Get a New Employee to Communicate With a Manager.
Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/new-employee-communicate-manager18287.html
Murphy, William. (2014, January 26). Workplace Anger. Retrieved from:
http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/workplace-anger.html