Eighty-seven percent of professionals interviewed recently said they have a good rapport with their supervisors and 95 percent get along well with coworkers. In fact, slightly more respondents today described their relationships with supervisors and peers as “very good” than did participants in a 2005 survey on the same subject.

 

The survey was developed by Accountemps. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 457 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

 

Workers were asked, “In general, how would you describe your relationship with your supervisor?” Their responses:

Workers also were asked, “In general, how would you describe your relationship with your coworkers?” Their responses:

“In good times and bad, building strong relationships with peers and supervisors is a priority for most professionals,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies^® (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). “Employers must continually nurture a culture in which employees feel valued and engaged -- workers who enjoy interacting with each other not only make the office more pleasant, but also produce better work.”

Messmer added, “Colleagues who have established strong rapport are more likely to support one another when presented with challenges or new responsibilities. Employers should look for opportunities to strengthen ties with their staff and help them bond with each other, such as by assigning mentors and encouraging people to assist those with rising workloads.”