Want a great raise and a career on the fast track to fulfillment - six-figure salary, gold watch, shiny Lexus, two country club memberships and all the other trappings?

First, find your boss in his office, striding down an aisle on the factory floor or filling up his mug in the coffee room.

Pour on the praise.

Too much gushing is probably not enough. Gush a little more.

Wait for a fat raise.

That's the take-away from a new survey from CareerBuilder.com.

The online recruiting source, which is co-owned by news and information companies Gannett Co. Inc., Tribune Co. and Knight Ridder Inc., found in an e-mail survey of 1,400 people that having a good relationship with your boss will pay dividends. (Gannett also owns the Enquirer.)

And, though it's no surprise, having a poor relationship with a supervisor usually translates into a raise that is more gesture than jingle.

The survey, called "The Boss: 2004," offers a reality check for workers who think productivity and dedication will reign supreme when the time comes for a raise.

CareerBuilder.com's survey found that one of three workers was dissatisfied with his or her boss' performance and as a result expected consequences when the time came for a raise.

Also, two of three survey respondents who had an unsatisfactory relationship with their bosses did not expect promotions any time soon.

Issue of trust

Many local workers are familiar with both sides of the debate.

Some bosses communicate and reward production, and some bosses reward the suck-ups.

Nicole Mettler, 31, is an account executive at Intrinzic Marketing & Design, a full-service marketing agency based in Anderson that employs 13.

She's not convinced it's an either/or situtation.

Mettler served four years ago as director of traffic for an advertising agency in Connecticut, where she had a great relationship with her supervisor. It usually translated into regular and large raises.

"I think the most important thing, first and foremost, is communication," Mettler said.

"We talked every day and kept each other in the loop. Another element was honesty, not being afraid to fully present a situation.

"And having been a manager with three people who worked under me, I loved the issue of trust.

"If you have trust in your employees, trust that they are going to do the job, work hard and do what they're supposed to be doing when they're supposed to be doing it, that made it easier for me to go to bat for them for a better raise."

Incessant fawning

The other side of the office equation is lack of trust and lack of respect for a boss and a smarmy underling.

One local 40-something quality assurance specialist, who asked that her name not be revealed, is amazed at how the company president cannot see through incessant fawning of a co-member of her company management team.

"The favoritism he shows the guy who has been gushing over the boss for the past two decades is so blatant," the specialist said.

"I would like to think that most people in our boss' position would see through that kind of thing, but some people enjoy it too much to make it stop."

E-mail jeckberg@enquirer.com