If you want to create a workplace that garners mutual respect and personal and professional development, it needs to be trustworthy. However, building trust can be complicated, especially since workers who have confidence in their companies have significantly higher performance, less turnover and less burnout. Trust is especially challenging in remote environments and requires more than a virtual office background with logo. These are some tips for building employee trust.
Pursue Open, Honest Communication
One of the key ways you can build trust is through your communication efforts. To promote open communication, you need to genuinely listen to your team. In fact, they should speak more than you do. You should make the effort to hear what they are saying. Ask questions for clarification, and work with them to solve their problems.
You should also promote feedback. Everyone wants to feel as if they have a say in or an impact on their organization. Therefore, ask for their help and opinions on various projects, team dynamics, corporate policies, etc. In addition, request feedback or be open to it at any time, not just once a year.
Also, avoid outright lying or even bloating the truth. Always go with the absolute truth even if it is difficult to say or hear.
Learning to Trust Your Teammates
If you have done your job and trained your team well, they should be able to handle their daily tasks. Your policy of open communication will encourage them to ask you for help when they need it. Therefore, you don’t need to be a micromanager to ensure that everyone is doing their jobs right.
Instead, trust your team. Empower them through training and development opportunities, but allow them the autonomy they need to trust themselves as well. The best way to build trust among teammates is to trust them. Then, they will begin to trust you. Once that trust is built, you may be surprised at how much insight and innovation they share with you.
Invest in the Teams Development
Just as your company has defined goals, your teams should have defined personal and professional goals. Everyone should be working toward something. You can build trust by helping your team work toward their goals through professional and team development opportunities.
Although adopting a consistent environment is important, give your employees more than teams customized backgrounds. Instead, give them opportunities to gain new knowledge and skills. Produce a culture that encourages professional and personal development.
Show Appreciation
You pay your employees to do specific jobs, but this isn’t enough recognition for most of them. Individuals like to know that they are making a difference in their work, that they are doing a good job and that they are helping the company and team. Therefore, build a culture of recognition.
Say “thank you,” and give verbal recognition. Ask the employees how they prefer to receive it, whether as a personal note or in front of others. Although you don’t always have to provide tangible rewards, such as bonuses, significant contributions should be recognized tangibly. Build a sense of community and trust through daily appreciation.
Consistency is key when trying to build trust, so create Zoom background with company logo and develop a consistent corporate culture that supports and trusts your employees.
