Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about trust in the workplace: why it’s decreasing, how crucial it is, and how to foster it among your teams. And that makes sense. For many years, a leader’s capacity to build trust has been a major factor in determining whether they succeed or fail.
The adage, which is frequently cited and is unattributed, “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair,” still holds true today because of this. Everyone on your team needs to trust one another if you want your business to prosper. When done correctly, these interactions foster compassion, empathy, and authenticity and strengthen employee engagement, retention, and company outcomes.
Table of Contents
What is Trust in the Workplace?
The perception that supervisors are “on their side,” will treat them fairly and with respect, and will accept the odd setback as a necessary component of professional progress is known as trust in the workplace.
The ability of a leader to inspire and encourage staff members is impacted by both sides of the trust issue. People have faith in your judgment when they trust you. They will be impacted by your leadership even in the face of uncertainty. That’s because they count on you to follow through on your commitments.
A crucial component of creating trust in the workplace and, eventually, the success of a company is being consistent in both your words and deeds. Employees frequently tell us that their impression of an organization is mostly shaped by the words and actions of its leaders.
Listen More Than You Speak
Each of your employees is a distinct individual with their own opinions and ideas. When kids ask to express their opinions, listen to them with genuine interest. Positive working relationships based on trust and understanding are formed on this basis.
Find out how your team’s quality of life can be enhanced by listening to each other.
It’s a good idea to participate in active listening training to enhance your listening abilities. This is putting a conscious effort to probe your staff members and urge them to go into further detail so you can fully grasp what they’re attempting to say. Every day, there are chances to listen.
Express Gratitude Each And Every Day
Sure, your workers receive compensation for their labor, but this is insufficient to show them that you respect and believe in them. It’s critical to acknowledge them often and instantly. You can express gratitude by expressing it in writing, praising someone aloud, and giving out material prizes like employee awards and bonuses.
Rewarding your staff on a daily basis fosters a sense of belonging and emotional stability, which increases the likelihood that they will trust you. Ninety percent of workers who express gratitude or acknowledgement from their supervisor report having a great deal of faith in that person.
Recall that rewarding employees in public is just as significant as rewarding them personally, if not more so. Your staff’s achievements can be featured in a hall of fame, on a company-wide newsfeed, or at team meetings. Tell others in your company about the fantastic work that your employees are doing; ideally, this may be done with a recognition platform that makes it easy to identify colleagues across all channels and from any location.
Put Your Team’s Needs First To Empower Them
Your staff is more likely to trust you in return if you show them that you trust them by taking the initiative. How then may you express your confidence in your employees? Encourage their professional growth and independence to give them more influence. Put additional duties on their backs. Ask them to observe meetings that they would not normally attend.
Allow a sales representative to observe a strategy meeting, for example, so they may offer their practical thoughts to inform future sales and marketing strategies. You’ll gain from their distinct viewpoint and they’ll remember your confidence in them.
It is inevitable that your employees will come to believe that you don’t trust them if you micromanage or closely monitor their job. The majority of workers prefer not to have you peer over their shoulders. They want to have enough confidence in you to let them work with little oversight.
Choosing macromanagement over micromanagement shows that you value and trust your staff members’ expertise and experience. To let your staff know that you trust them to make decisions on their own but are always accessible if they need help, be encouraging without becoming overbearing and demonstrate your availability without placing undue pressure on them.
Be Truthful And Open
It can be difficult to tell the truth. Telling your staff what they want to hear might sometimes seem easier, especially when things are tough. However, being sincere while still being considerate of their feelings makes them more likely to trust you. Sincerity is the cornerstone of any relationship, personal or professional. Even a long-term relationship might be irreversibly damaged by one untruth.
To ensure that your staff members are always informed of changes in the workplace, you should also be open and honest while discussing them.
Engage your staff in conversation and be honest with them. If you tell them something and then walk away without giving them a chance to speak, they won’t feel heard or appreciated. It’s obvious that you’re there to talk with them rather than at them when you have a two-way conversation.
Emphasize Communicating Nonverbally And Soft Skills
Although spoken communication is crucial, it is not the only form of it. Soft skills and nonverbal communication are equally important. These include personality traits, attitudes, and behaviors. You’ll show that you’re interested in what your employees have to say if you look them in the eye and nod when they talk instead of checking your email or the time.
Empathy, compassion, and problem-solving abilities combined with positive body language make an environment that welcomes staff members and makes them feel comfortable approaching you.
Above all, when you communicate, always be true to yourself and your own self. Employee trust will fade if they don’t believe you’re speaking from the heart. Your staff is more inclined to trust you if they feel at ease with you.
The Bottom Line
Creating a successful culture today requires developing leader trust, as an increasing amount of research demonstrates. The data is consistent with what we’ve observed as thought leaders in employee engagement, culture, and communication. A sense of acceptance and belonging—a sense that they matter—is what employees are seeking in light of the uncertainty, exhaustion, and high levels of disengagement.
How can businesses fulfill such challenging requests while still achieving better outcomes, lower turnover, and increased engagement? It all comes down to employee trust. Rely on their leader’s compassion. Have faith in the organization’s significant efforts. Have faith that each employee is valued and cared for by the leadership team and the team as a whole…
Although it requires a lot of work, trust is worthwhile. Workers that have faith in their managers will go above and above for them and show greater commitment to the company. To put it briefly, establishing trust may be your primary duty as a leader in the current corporate climate.
Also Read: 5 Effects of a positive work culture on growth of startups
