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Building Trust in the Workplace: Leadership Tips

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Trust lays the foundation for everything else in the workplace. But unfortunately, only 21% of U.S. workers strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization.

This is concerning, seeing as a team that trusts their leadership will be more comfortable, cohesive, and confident, resulting in more success. They will communicate more effectively and ultimately be better employees. Building trust in the workplace is essential if you want to be as successful as possible. 

In this article, we’ll break down the basics of trust in the workplace, why it matters, and what you can do to create a culture of trust in the workplace. 

Why is Trust Important in the Workplace?

Before we jump into team building and trust activities, let’s recap why building trust in the workplace is so important for the success of your business.

Trusting Employees are More Loyal

Just like any relationship, trust and loyalty are nonnegotiable for a healthy dynamic. If employees don’t completely trust you and your business practices, they’re likely not going to fully commit to the company in fear of being let go, taken advantage of, or underestimated. Trusting employees, however, are willing to go the extra mile and stay loyal to the company because they know their best interests are at the heart of the company.

Trust Creates Future Leaders

Similarly to how trust creates more loyal employees, it also empowers employees to seek out growth opportunities in order to succeed within the company. Rather than looking elsewhere for better employment opportunities, trusting employees will aim to become a leader within their current team.

Building Trust Boosts Engagement

By fostering open communication and creating a positive work culture, building trust in the workplace significantly boosts employee engagement. When employees have trust in leadership, they’re more likely to voice ideas, give feedback, and work together to go above and beyond the company goals. Employees who feel like they can take risks without being punished are more likely to innovate and stay engaged with the company for years to come.

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Employee Trust Affects Clients

Not only does trust and transparency affect employees, but it also affects your clients’ experience. TeamBonding’s Founder and COO David Goldstein explains his approach:

“In order for our clients to trust our business we have to trust the employees to deliver on the promises that we make. To me it’s important to build trusting relationships with my employees and invest in their success so they treat our business as if it’s their own.”

Customers can tell when your employees are passionate about their work and feel like they’re respected at your company. Make sure you’re building trust in the workplace so employees feel empowered to perform their best and build rapport with clients.

Challenges to Building Trust in the Workplace

Though it’s easy to say you need to build trust, knowing how to build trust in the workplace is a different story. Building trust at work can be difficult, and it’s not something that comes overnight. It can take weeks, months, and sometimes years to build or regain trust. There are many challenges to building trust in the workplace, so let’s take a look at some of the most common ones. 

Lack of transparency. 

One of the most common obstacles to building trust in the workplace is a lack of transparency, especially from management. When employees don’t know what’s going on, issues start to arise. People wonder why a decision was made, worry about their job security, and get more stressed. These all can have clear negative impacts on the work environment.

Deloitte’s 8-part series, “The Chemistry of Trust,” highlights several companies that recently experienced a negative trust-related event. The results? Each company’s market cap was eroded by 20-56% with losses accounting for a combined $70 billion value.

On the other hand, transparency makes trust much easier to build. When employees feel like they know what’s going on, understand why decisions are made, and clearly understand the company’s actions, it makes it much easier to trust the company and their coworkers. It helps them feel engaged and involved as well, which can have benefits with morale and productivity.  

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Poor communication. 

As with transparency, poor communication is another common obstacle to building trust at work. Clear and consistent communication goes a long way when it comes to trust. When communication breaks down at work, relationships are harder to build and maintain, employees can get confused and stressed, and more. 

However, good communication makes all the difference. With communication, managers can build strong relationships with their teams. Employees feel like they are cared about, included, and can communicate their struggles with their coworkers. This makes building trust in the work much easier.  

building trust in the workplace

Trust goes both ways. 

Something that management in particular often misses in regard to trust is that trust goes both ways. It is not a one way relationship, and it must be earned. Upper management cannot expect to be trusted without putting in the effort to show they trust their employees. They have to lead by example and show that their employees can trust them before they can expect to be trusted. 

Management and leaders can start building trust in the workplace by being more transparent and communicate more openly with employees. This shows that you value their input, want them to be involved, and trust them with important information. 

You also want to stick to your word as much as possible. If you say you will deal with an issue, promise a raise or bonus, or make some other promise, you need to make sure you follow through. When employees see you put your trust in them, they will do the same. Trust is a fundamental aspect of any successful workplace, and without it, a toxic work environment can quickly develop. A lack of trust can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, insecurity, jealousy, unhealthy competition, gossip, rumors, and low morale. These are all signs of a toxic work environment, which is inefficient, ineffective, and unenjoyable for everyone involved.

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To build trust in the workplace, effective communication and transparency are key. Employees need to feel like they can communicate freely with each other and management, and management needs to be transparent in their decisions and thought processes. Practicing active listening is also crucial, as it shows employees that their thoughts and feelings are valued.

Taking accountability is another important aspect of building trust. When employees see that their leaders are held accountable for their actions, they are more likely to trust them. Building personal connections is also essential, as trust needs a relationship to build upon. By taking the time to get to know your employees on a personal level, you can build trust and foster a positive work environment.

Leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture of trust in the workplace. By leading by example and setting a standard of trust, leaders can influence the entire company. Open and honest, constructive feedback is important, as well as creating a safe and supportive environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns. By building trust in the workplace, you can create a positive and productive environment where employees feel valued and supported.

Start Building Trust Today

Trust is a crucial element in creating a successful workplace environment. When employees feel trusted, they are more likely to have high morale, increased efficiency, and overall positivity in the workplace. Building trust may seem challenging, but with effective communication, transparency, strong personal connections, and accountability, trust and teamwork can be cultivated.

One way to foster trust within teams is by encouraging open discussions where employees feel safe and comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. This will help build trust among team members and create a more cohesive and supportive work environment.

Trust and team building are interconnected, making it essential to start building trust today. TeamBonding offers a variety of events and programs designed to help teams develop relationships and trust. Contact us today to explore our team building programs tailored to creating a culture of trust within your organization.

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