Trust at work can be defined as the willingness to accept personal risk based on another person’s actions, according to an article on the Business-2-Community website.
That could mean that I’m willing to guarantee a deadline because I’m confident my team members will do their part on time. It could mean making decisions based on someone else’s data, because I’m sure the data is accurate. Or it could mean accepting a stretch assignment because I’m sure my supervisor will help me succeed and back me up when I make mistakes.
Developing that kind of trust between employees and leadership can be difficult. In fact, studies show that fewer than half of employees say they have a high trust in their leaders. But it’s important because:
- It leads to greater productivity and employee retention. Forbes has measured 15-20% difference in profit and productivity when organizations put a priority on trust.
- It leads to better outcomes on the job. One study found that 82% of employees said trust in their supervisors was critical to their performance.
- It enhances engagement. Among highly engaged employees, 90% say they trust their leaders.
How can we build this kind of trust? The article and a related infographic gave the following advice.
- Gather employee input when making organizational decisions.
- Increase transparency by helping employees understand how decisions are made.
- Tell employees what is going on, even when things aren’t going well.
- Ensure consistency between leadership words and actions.
As employees, we want to work in environments where there is high trust. As leaders, trust will help us be more effective in meeting organizational goals. How have you been able to build trust with your work teams?
Dee Anne Bonebright
Higher EDge 