It's the rare boss who really gives enough time and attention to building relationships with employees, and in an IT industry that's changing at a pace not seen in a generation, making employees happy could become a secondary concern.

But it shouldn't. Good relationships with employees can keep turnover down and productivity up.

In a recent Inc.com blog, Minda Zetlin, co-author of "The Geek Gap," taps into the employee relations strategy of Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health.

Zetlin breaks down Van Gorder's advice into a few solid best practices for building and maintaining healthy, happy employee relationships, regardless what industry you're in.

There's some obvious stuff here, like "don't act superior," and some more hands-on things, like working an actual shift or just getting down to where your people work and listening to what they have to say.

The overarching theme seems to be communication, and Van Gorder obviously spends a lot of time talking, emailing and working with his people. Read Zetlin's blog here.