Editorial
As we enter 2024, we still battle to create thriving workplaces and engaged, productive workforces, with data from Gallup showing that stress remains at a record high and that over half of employees are actively or passively job seeking.
Building trust might be the solution. Trust is the bedrock of successful organizations, fostering collaboration, innovation and employee well-being. It enhances communication, boosts morale and strengthens team cohesion. In a high-trust environment, individuals feel empowered, valued, and aligned with the organization's goals.
Trust expands between colleagues, between managers and their reports, and between the organization and employees. However, it extends to the broader organizational ecosystem too, fostering stronger relationships with clients, customers and stakeholders.
Now, we all innately know that trust is important, but honestly, when was the last time you and your leadership took a look at trust within your organization? Are you creating a proactive strategy to build, nurture and maintain a culture of trust?
The Impact of Trust…and Mistrust
Past research demonstrates that people at high-trust companies report 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity and 76% more engagement. There are likely many contributing factors to this. When employees trust their leaders and colleagues, they are more likely to share ideas, take risks and engage in constructive problem-solving. This open exchange of information leads to increased innovation and creativity within the organization. Trust also enhances employee morale and job satisfaction, reducing turnover rates and contributing to a more stable and committed workforce. Furthermore, in a trusting environment, conflicts are managed more effectively and decision-making processes become streamlined.
On the other hand, a lack of trust can lead to a myriad of detrimental consequences, eroding the foundation of a healthy workplace. Suspicion and skepticism pervade the work environment, hindering effective communication and collaboration. Employees may become hesitant to share ideas or voice concerns, fearing judgment or reprisal. This lack of openness leaves individuals reluctant to contribute fully to collective problem-solving efforts. Productivity suffers, and morale plummets, leading to increased turnover rates as employees seek environments where trust and cooperation prevail. Ultimately, a pervasive lack of trust creates a toxic workplace culture.
“Trust fuels psychological safety to take risks, get creative and stay engaged. Yet when it erodes, collaboration and performance take a nosedive,” Lisa Lewis-Cogswell, a certified Positive Psychology, Group and Team Coach, who focuses on empowering connection, trust and human flourishing for groups and teams, said. She calls it “the super glue binding teams together. Without it, everything starts slowly falling apart.”
Related Article: You Think Everything’s Fine. Your Employees Might Not Be so Sure
How to Build a Culture of Trust
Building trust in an organization is a nuanced and ongoing process that requires intentional efforts from leadership and all team members.
Realize Building Trust Requires Energy
While people feel more energized in a high-trust environment, building trust also requires human energy. Many of the behaviors required to build trust, such as active listening, empathy and the ability to contemplate different perspectives, all require mental and emotional capacity. It is much harder to truly listen to and understand someone when you are stressed, overwhelmed or tired. It is harder to see commitments through when you are overextended or continuously reacting to fires.
Ask yourself: does your organization have the capacity for trust-building behaviors? Or is there an overwhelming, reactive or stressful environment?
Be Intentional With Communications
In a high-trust environment, transparent and open communications are paramount. By sharing information openly, addressing concerns promptly and encouraging feedback and dialogue, you reduce uncertainty. By involving employees in decision-making processes, people will feel their input matters, and they are more likely to trust the organization and its leadership.
Of course, you can’t always share everything for business or legal reasons. In these cases, share what you can (for example, how decisions will be made), be open about what you can’t share and create safe spaces for employees to process, feel and ask questions.
Ask yourself: Do your communications bring clarity and ease concerns? Or do they fuel uncertainty and mistrust?
Be Consistent and Competent
Reliability increases employee comfort and earns trust. Leaders, managers and colleagues, will need to demonstrate consistency in decision-making, actions and responses. As Lewis-Cogswell noted, “just like children, our nervous systems regulate with consistency and routines! Dependability through keeping promises and mapping clear growth paths signals care and stability. This empowers teams to take risks and actualize their potential.”
Demonstrating competence at all levels increases confidence in colleagues, managers and leaders. Employees need to trust that those they work with, report to and lead the company have the necessary skills and expertise. “Achieving collective goals builds faith in one another and paired with continual skill-building in supportive cultures, strengths compound over time,” Lewis-Cogswell said.
Ask yourself: Does your leadership demonstrate consistency? Or are responses and actions inconsistent?
Foster Accountability
Accountability fosters trust by demonstrating responsibility and ownership of one's actions and decisions. When individuals hold themselves accountable for their work, it builds confidence among colleagues, as they see a reliable and transparent approach to achieving shared goals. On the other hand, playing the blame-game or giving excuses when things go wrong creates a suspicious and untrusting environment.
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“Owning mistakes with honesty and integrity seeds understanding,” Lewis-Cogswell said. “Examining biases requires collective responsibility at all levels. There are always blind spots to examine, like biases and assumptions. That responsibility rests on all shoulders and builds understanding and trust.”
Ask yourself: Do people take accountability for their actions and inactions? Or do people tend to focus on blame, excuses or external factors to explain undesired outcomes?
Create a Fair Environment
When individuals perceive that they are treated justly, with consistent and transparent policies, it builds trust in the organization's leadership and decision-making processes. Fairness fosters a positive work environment, where employees feel valued, leading to stronger bonds of trust among team members and with the organization as a whole.
You will need to ensure fairness in policies, procedures and resource distribution, and address conflicts proactively and constructively.
Ask yourself: How is fairness built into the fabric of your organization, from hiring to opportunities, resources, and progression?
Recognize and Appreciate
Demonstrating appreciation validates employees' contributions and efforts. When individuals feel acknowledged for their work, it signals that their contributions are valued, creating a positive and supportive workplace culture. This recognition fosters trust in leadership, as employees believe their efforts are noticed and appreciated, contributing to stronger employee engagement and commitment.
Ask yourself: Do people feel they matter? Or do they feel like a number, a cog in the wheel, or unnoticed?
Bring People Together
Whether remote or in-person, investing in team-building activities and social connection encourages collaboration and creates a sense of community. These shared positive experiences contribute to the development of trust among team members.
“Shared experiences, playfulness and annual offsites dissolve barriers and build lasting camaraderie across distance,” Lewis-Cogswell said. However, she also warns that annual offsites are the bare minimum for a cohesive organization.
Ask yourself: How do you foster connection in-person and remotely?
Create Cultural Alignment
Cultural alignment to shared values and purpose builds trust by creating a cohesive environment where employees feel a sense of belonging and shared commitment. It can reduce conflict when each person feels they are a part of something together.
Ask yourself: Does each employee feel connected to the organization's mission and values and see how their contributions align in a meaningful way?
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