Trust is the very bedrock of a successful organization. It is absolutely essential for building cohesive teams, creating a positive culture at work, and achieving greater growth. Research shows compared to people at low trust companies, people working at high trust organizations demonstrate 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, 40% less burnout.
In essence, trust is essential for employee engagement. When employees trust the organization they work at, they are proud of the work they do and appreciate the honesty and mutual respect that exists.
55 percent of managers believe a lack of trust constitutes a foundational threat to their company. When you prioritize building trust at your workplace, you build a diverse and solid work culture that encourages your employees to thrive and takes your organizations to greater heights.
Here are 5 tips that can help you build trust in the workplace.
Each of your employees will have their opinions and thoughts. Your employees should be encouraged to speak out and it is very important that you really listen. Employees should feel that their place of work hears them out and acknowledges their inputs.
Managers in your organization should receive active listening training which equips them to engage their employees, ask the right questions so that they can fully grasp what their employees wish to communicate. Of course, they should also be trained to listen to positive as well as negative feedback.
All employees should have a voice in the organization and how it functions. Companies should actively seek out feedback from their employees whether it is with scheduled surveys or one-to-one meetings with managers.
However for employees to really feel heard, companies should accept their feedback and try to implement the changes suggested by employees if possible. This gives employees a feeling of being included in the decision-making process in the company and really take pride in their work and organization.
Employees are an organization’s biggest asset. Their hard work contributes to the overall growth of the organization. Don’t just wait for the employees’ appraisal time to tell your employees what they are doing right. Employees should be appreciated frequently if they are doing good work or making a positive contribution to the team and work environment.
Appreciating your employees can be a simple thank you note, a shout out to employees in a team-wide email, or tangible gifts and tokens of appreciation. When employees are appreciated at their place of work, they tend to feel emotionally secure and have a sense of pride and ownership for their work.
Many times managers can be dodgy when communicating unpleasant news or negative feedback to employees. However, for employees to trust their managers and organization, all news whether positive or negative should be honestly and transparently communicated to the entire team.
When the leadership is transparent with the changes in business process or other updates, employees are not suddenly caught by surprise and as such have more faith and confidence in their leadership.
For true mutual trust to be built, it is not just important for employees to have faith in their managers and organization but also vice versa. When you empower your employees by providing them with autonomy, greater responsibilities, and chances for professional development, they too understand the faith you’re placing in them. Employees are more likely to be motivated and productive when they feel that their organization is counting on them.
Building a culture of mutual trust within the organization does take substantial effort. However, once in place it is beneficial for everyone involved including employees, managers, and the organization as a whole.