How to Gain Your Employees' Trust

Trust is often talked about as the bedrock of a company’s success. But trust within the organisation is often overlooked. Your employees must believe in each other. If they don’t, communication, teamwork and performance will suffer. How do you build trust in the office?

#1. Make a connection

One of the way to build trust is to create a personal connection. Get to know the people on your team, and letting them get to know you. This might involve chatting about hobbies or interests. You can also host team lunches or take a few calls with the customer service team.

Do something that makes them believe that you are one of them. Even though you are the boss, in the end you’re all in this together.
 

#2. Be transparent and truthful

Share as much as you can about the current health and future goals of the company. If not, the workplace will be full of rumours. If there is a lack of information, employees will speculate with negative information.

There may be some data that you cannot share such as compensation. However, you can distribute other information such as board meeting notes and financial results. If you trust your employees, they will have greater faith in you.

Part of being transparent also involves having the integrity to be honest, even if it’s bad news.
 

#3. Encourage rather than command

Your employees know the difference between being given orders and being offered encouragement. When employees are encouraged to succeed and believe that the company’s goals are aligned with their own, they’ll work harder and smarter.

As managers, you should delegate tasks and grant as much autonomy as possible. You should also make it clear what your expectations are and how performance will be measured.
 

#4. Take blame, but give credit

Giving your employees the credit they deserve is the best way to get them behave well. It reinforces the sense that people are working toward shared goals rather than simply for the boss’s personal agenda.

Don’t cast blame on your employees. Instead emphasise that that it is the company and your own leadership that need to improve. This will show that you believe that  the rules apply to everyone in the organisation, including you.
 

#5. Don’t play favorites

The fastest way to lose trust is to play favourites. If you favour a certain employee, everything else you do to build trust will be undermined.

Avoid badmouthing at all costs. If your employees catch you criticizing a colleague behind his or her back, they’ll assume that, as soon as they leave the room, you aren’t treating them well either.
 

#6. Show competence

If you’re not good at your job, forget about earning employees’ trust. You should regularly update your own skills and follow through on commitments.

Don’t try to be an expert in all things. Your employees that are in the know can spot faked knowledge. If you have the humility to ask questions and express an eagerness to learn, you’ll work smarter. This will encourage your employees do the same.

Principles to Remember

Do:

• Emphasize what you have in common. This helps employees believe that their goals are aligned with yours.
• Share whatever information you can. When people feel trusted, they’ll trust you back.
• Admit mistakes and accept responsibility.

Don’t:

• Give orders. Earn trust by motivating employees to succeed on their own.
• Badmouth anyone. Employees will assume you’ll also speak poorly of them when their backs are turned
• Fake knowledge. Employees need to see you are competent enough to admit what you don’t know

Are You Short on Staff? Reach millions of job seekers on Maukerja, Ricebowl, LinkedIn, Jora, Trovit, and more when you post a job on AJobThing.com Register today!

Source: Harvard Business Review

Related articles

Why Don't People Trust HR?

Why Employees Quit: What HR Should Know

Are You a Leader? 8 ThingsYou Must NEVER Ask Employees To Do