Steps to Build and Show Trust in the Workplace
The simple act of trusting people makes them perform better and with confidence and enthusiasm. Conversely, when people do not feel trusted, they become overly cautious and lack confidence. In that scenario, it is almost impossible to rise to the occasion. Instead, people will live down to the expectation or worse, look for a workplace in which they will be trusted.
Trust is an essential part of a productive workplace. It is the thread that binds a team together. Below are some steps that can be taken to increase the trust in your workplace.
Steps to Build and Show Trust in the Workplace
- Believe in Your Employees and Communicate Your Belief to Them – Believing in your employees is everything! The belief comes easier for some, especially top performers but extend that belief to everyone and see what happens. The simple act of trusting people makes them perform better.
- Encourage Questions, Brainstorming and Risk-Taking – Learn to say things like, “As long as the job gets done,” and “Whatever you think is best.” These powerful phrases show your trust and encourage creativity. It allows people to take ownership of their work. When employees feel empowered, their job satisfaction improves and so does their output.
- Stop Solving People’s Problems – When a person solves another’s problems, they inadvertently communicate a lack of trust and rob the person of the opportunity to work out their own problem. That goes back to ownership. Allow people to take ownership of their work.
- Tolerate Failure – This one is the hardest. But, know that approaches will occasionally fail. When they do, don’t become controlling or negative. Instead, focus on what to do differently next time and remember that we all learn from our failures.
- Be Positive – People respond well to positive reinforcements. Once you start looking for reasons to compliment someone’s actions, you will realize there are plenty of good things happening. Positively helps develop respect, trust, and mutual appreciation. It’s also good for our health and outlook.
- Delegate – Delegation is the ultimate show of trust. Don’t be afraid to delegate a task and communicate that you know they will handle the task differently than you and that is why you delegated it to them.
Trust affects an employee’s morale and performance. Creating trust in the workplace will improve output and employee retention. If you would like to learn more about how to foster a positive environment, contact the experts at HRinDemand.
Melissa Marsh, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a human resources consultant and founder of HRinDemand, a human resources company in Reno, NV, offering expert guidance and easy-to-use tools to help small businesses with employment regulations, compliance, employee relations, and company growth.