With the recent snowy weather conditions and many of the UK workforce struggling to get to work - some employees resorted to working from home. But, do all employers trust their staff to get their work done?
Click here to see why trust is a very important factor for the success of an organisation
Seen by many as one of those nice-but-not-needed ‘soft’ issues, employee trust is one human need which, if met, can help separate leaders from laggards, and build long-term success.
Without trust: people will still deliver, but with feet of lead; you can still count on your staff’s skills, but also their scepticism; you will have 100% of their time, but not their effort.
Trust destroyers
Sins of commission and omission which can weaken employee trust:
* Inconsistency: when your actions don’t match your words
* Inequality: the ‘them and us’ syndrome
* Insincerity: expecting token words and gestures to do the trick
* Partiality: preferring a type or group of employees
* Indecision: when you chop and change direction
* Secrecy: when you withhold what they should know
Trust builders
Some guidelines on how to (re-) build employee trust:
* Trust them first: you’ve hired people because you think they can do the job, now let them do it
* Involve them: inform them even if it’s bad news for them as individuals, avoid springing it on them; take them through the financial state of the firm, let them know how they contributed
* Be seen to be equitable: for pay rises, holiday entitlement, and benefits, make it clearly understood why some get more than others
* Attend to the individual: hold that personal development meeting when you say you will; if you’ve promised that training course, make sure they get on it
