Building trust among your employees

Trust is a two-way street in the workplace – here are three ways you can build a culture of trust among your employees

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Entrepreneur

Across the European Union, the outlook is bleak when it comes to employees feeling trusted in the workplace. According to a survey by the LSE Business Review in 2021, fewer than half of European employees feel trusted at work.

Fortunately, there are strategies you can employ to cultivate employees’ trust, showcase your confidence in their abilities, and reinforce mutual trust within the team.

Practice honesty and transparency

Distinguishing between authentic trust and mere comfort is crucial. While it might appear counterintuitive to provide unvarnished feedback to an employee who’s falling short of expectations, openly addressing uncomfortable truths actually fosters trust.

During performance evaluations or brief check-ins, delineate both the employee’s strengths and areas for improvement. However, it’s essential to be forthright about the path ahead—how they can enhance their performance and the collaborative efforts your team will undertake to support their growth. Concealing perspectives or workflows will only breed more scepticism. Prioritising transparency and teamwork, on the other hand, will work to build trust.

Infuse humanity

This is where comfort and genuine connections enter the equation: Remember to infuse humanity into the workplace. You needn’t compromise your authority, but it’s essential to embody relatability by remembering personal details about employees or displaying empathy when unforeseen circumstances arise.

Consider organising monthly work gatherings to nurture camaraderie among team members. Additionally, have contingency plans ready for instances when an employee needs to take a day off due to illness or unforeseen emergencies. Pre-emptively communicate these plans and make it evident that you acknowledge your employees as multifaceted individuals outside of the office.

Be open to input

While providing candid feedback is one facet, being receptive to employees’ viewpoints is another dimension of building trust. Although you hold a leadership role, you remain an integral part of the team.

During check-ins or scheduled meetings, encourage questions and comments from your team members, and ensure you follow up on valuable suggestions. Acknowledging your employees’ perspectives is paramount, given their pivotal contributions to the organisation. Strive to cultivate a workplace environment that tailors itself to their needs, thereby enabling them to perform optimally.

Demonstrating your attentiveness to their concerns and ideas signifies that you place trust in them, fostering reciprocal trust in return.