5 critical steps to build workplace trust

Build workplace trust? A survey of random people on almost any topic would show that trust levels are at an all time low.

Browsing through Facebook on any given day, you will find people who have lost trust in political leaders, organizations, leadership, food safety, and almost everything else.

People struggle to trust in anything today and the workplace is certainly right up there with places and things that people don’t trust.

What happens when you don’t build workplace trust?

1. Breakdown in communication. Employees don’t feel they can tell the truth to their employer.
2. Broken promises. When management breaks trust with employees by not delivering on promises or rewards, employee performance decreases.
3. Feelings of being spied on. Some corporate policies create micromanagement rules that tell employees they aren’t trusted to make adult decisions and that results in even more rebellion.
4. Delaying or omitting bad news. With today’s rapid-fire communication, you don’t want your employees to learn of an important business decision from Twitter.
5. Lying about decisions or new policies. If the leader doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, it will come back to haunt him. Ideally, employees should be trusted enough to be part of the decision-making process when possible.

When we build workplace trust, magic starts to happen

1. Leaders who trust their employees are rewarded by being trusted in return.
2. Individuals feel valued and are overall happier.
3. Creativity and innovation grow as employees feel trusted.
4. Positive results increase in an atmosphere of trust because employees are more likely to work harder to reach goals.
5. People who feel trusted act with autonomy because they feel confident that they understand what actions are needed whether the goal is satisfied customers or an improved process.

To build workplace trust, start with little steps.

Treat people with respect. Listen to their ideas. Execute good ideas. Deliver promised rewards. Praise their successes.

Need help? Hire me, Julie Walraven, Certified Master Resume Writer. I can take the pain out of writing your resume and even make it fun. We work together to discover those forgotten contributions and position you to win your next role. To find out how, Click Here.