Communication is at the core of the employee-supervisor relationship. Talent managers and leaders can help facilitate positive — if not loving — working relationships by building an honest, autonomous workplace culture. When employees feel appreciated, they are more engaged and productive, leading to better business results and a happier, healthier work environment.

With fictional managers in movies such as “Horrible Bosses” wreaking havoc on employees, it’s no wonder bosses sometimes have bad reputations. But contrary to all the negative hype, leaders may not be receiving the love they deserve.

In reality, more than 70 percent of employees claim to have a good working relationship with their supervisors, according to an August 2011 survey by Fierce Inc. titled “What Makes a Horrible Boss?” outlining characteristics of good bosses. And 53 percent state that their leader’s management style has a direct and positive impact on their relationships with co-workers.

Here are five tips for how talent managers can help leaders spread the love in the office:

Sometimes employees know best. What’s one of the most vital things managers can do to create great relationships with employees? Solicit and value their input, according to 80 percent of respondents from the aforementioned survey on characteristics of good bosses.

To ensure that the organization respects and values workers’ opinions, leaders should establish guidelines for communication. When there is an important decision to be made, they can invite all employees to the table rather than coming to a conclusion behind closed doors. This could be followed up with managers regularly reporting what resulted from the employees’ input. This level of ongoing engagement demonstrates that employees were heard and encourages teams to continue to provide answers.

Give them some breathing room. Employees don’t want to be treated like cogs in a machine. They want to understand their role in the big picture. Autonomy, the degree to which people feel they have control over their work, contributes to overall motivation and trust.