All the successful employers believe that the strength of any organisation is the employees working there. The most important factor for the employees to work together is the trust amongst them. If employees create trust at workplace then they do wonders for the company they work for.
What is Trust?
Trust means freedom given to all those working in the company to do what they want to do, experiment with their ideas for the benefit of the company. Another way of defining trust is having trust on the employees and the employer that they will work for the benefit of the company.
Employees when become truthful to each other without watching for the consequences, this faith in each other is called trust and it is always beneficial for the company and the employees themselves.
The Importance of Trust at Workplace?
Having trust is an essential factor, but why it is required in every organisation. There are two important factors which can be achieved only when there is trust amongst the employees.
1. The productivity of the employees:
When employees trust each other and work as a team, then not only the productive capacity of the organisation increases but the productivity of the employee also increases. So, trust is very important for the growth of the organisation and the employee as well.
2. Engagement of the employee in an organisation:
If an employee is engaged in a particular organisation for a long time, then he will give his best to the company and thus will get the trust from all those who are working with him.
But, how do employees build trust amongst themselves. There are certain factors which can help them to have mutual understanding and trust amongst each other.
So, here is the list of such factors which can help them to develop the trust factor.
17 Essential Trust Building Factors:
There is a lot of importance of trust in the workplace. The below mentioned are few factors that help in building trust in the workplace.
1. Maintain integrity:
Maintaining integrity is the most important requirement of every organization. Integrity shall start from the top level in the organization and shall move downwards. If this factor is maintained it is easier for the people working in the company to trust their subordinates and their employers.
2. Be truthful:
Sometimes there are situations in the company where the truth of the people working there is on a test. In such a situation, it is always better to be true no matter how difficult it may be. Being true may sometimes affect the relation between two employees, but it will bring trust amongst the other employees.
3. Communicate goals of the organization:
If the employer and the planning department communicates the goals of the company to the people working at the lower level, then this brings a sense of trust amongst the employees, The employees will have the feeling of belonging to the company.
4. Clear misunderstandings:
In every company there are misunderstandings amongst the employees. All the employees shall try to clear their misunderstandings even at the personal level. So, if there are no misunderstanding then it will be easier for the employees to trust each other.
5. Treating all the employees equal in the company:
All the employees shall be treated at par. If there are wage increase or any other benefits are given to the employees in the company then it shall be introduced at all the levels. This will help all the employees to feel equal and will make them work hard for the company.
6. Involving employees in the decision-making process:
Employees at all the levels shall be involved in the decision-making process of the company. Employers can get their opinion through votes or poll. If employees at all the levels participate in decision making, then not only the decision will be for the advantage but, they will feel trustworthy as well.
7. Focus on goals of the company rather than personal goals:
Employees shall always work to achieve the goals of the company rather than achieving their individual goals. For achieving the goals of the company they will have to work together and for that there needs to be trust amongst the employees.
8. Follow the instinct:
The employees shall always do what is correct without thinking about the consequences. If the employees take the correct steps by taking the personal risk then trust will build amongst the employees.
9. Have respect for all the employees working in the company:
All the employees shall have respect for each other and for all those who are working in the company. If there is respect, then there will develop trust amongst the employees and this will work for the betterment of the company.
10. The employer shall empathize with their employees:
In every company the employer shall always empathize with the employees. There are situations where the employees are not able to fulfil their commitment due to some personal reasons. If the employer understands it, the employee is able to trust him.
11. Appreciate those who stand for their mistakes:
The employer shall appreciate those who admit their mistake and stand for anything wrong that has been done by them. By doing this the employee will not only trust their employer, but will also admit his mistake.
12. Commitment:
All the employees working in the company make certain commitments towards the company. If the employees are fulfilling their commitment, then the trust will build up amongst the employees as they know what the other has said will be done at any cost.
13. Competence amongst the employees:
Employees when compete with each other in a positive spirit, then it is not only good for the company but also for the employees as well, as it will increase their productivity and will help to work faster to achieve their goals.
14. Being accountable:
When employees become accountable for doing something wrong or for their action, then there is trust amongst the employees. Only those will become accountable who know that they will be heard and believed.
15. Listen to what is being said:
This goes both for the employer and the employee. Only those who listen to others will know the root cause of the problem and will be able to help others. So, it is always better to listen to others and then form your opinion about them.
16. No gossip in the company:
When there is no gossip in the company, then no irrelevant information is circulated in the company. So, no employee will have a fake picture created in his mind and he will trust on others working in the company.
17. Transparency in work:
When work done in the organization is transparent enough that all the employees can easily evaluate the contribution of each employee, then there is no scope for lack of trust.
Factors Destroying the Trust in the Organization:
As there are factors that can help building trust at work similarly there are factors that can lead to poor performance in the workplace.
Here is the list of certain factors which can destroy the trust.
1. Gossip in the organization:
When employees gossip in the company, then there is a wrong portrayal of the image of other employees. Others find it difficult to trust others and hence they are misguided by the facts that are provided to them.
2. Micromanagement in the company:
When the management is reserved in selective hands, then it becomes difficult for other employees trust them as they will take decisions for their own personal benefit rather than for the company as a whole.
3. Lack of credibility:
When employees work hard for the benefit of the company and they keep the goals of the company over their personal goals, but if the employer does not give them any credit for their hard work then they lose trust in the employer.
4. Speak and act inconsistently:
All those employees who act without realizing its implications and also those who speak without realizing its impact surely lose the trust of their coworkers and also the employer.
5. Working to achieve personal gains:
When an employee works to achieve his personal gains then he surely does something which is not beneficial for the company. Such an employee loses the trust of others.
6. Holding the information to themselves:
Employees by holding information with themselves may want to use it for their personal use. This might result in a lack of trust as they betray the trust of the employer and their coworkers.
7. Lying to others:
Those working in the company when lie to others are surely going to break the bond of trust. Lie once told can be neglected, but if the same thing happens again and again, then it becomes difficult to rebuild the bond of trust.
8. Close minded towards others thoughts:
If the employer is close minded towards the thoughts of others, then as a result the trust is going to suffer as he will make things go his own way and this might go against the organization.
6 Consequences of Lack of Trust in the Workplace:
Any team of employees when works together can achieve goals which might look unattainable if the employee works alone. But, sometimes there is a lack of trust amongst the employees and as a result the company has to suffer.
Here are certain consequences of lack of trust in workplace.
1. Lower productivity:
Employees when don’t trust each other try to work on their own manner. In such a situation the productivity of the employee and the team as a whole declines and the work of the organization has to suffer.
2. No delegation of authority:
When there is no trust amongst the employees and the employer,then it becomes very difficult to delegate the authority. The employer might fear of misuse of the authority and by doing this his position might come in danger.
3. A load of work increases:
Employees when trust each other, share their work load and even help each other in times of need. But, when there is no trust they have to do their own work and this way their work load is not divided.
4. New ideas will not be welcomed:
If the employer does not trust his employees then he will hesitate to introduce new ideas in the company and the company will continue to work on the same old pattern.
5. Increased cost:
Every organization tries to cut down the cost of production, but when employees don’t work as a team and help each other then the cost rises and benefits are neither availed by the employees nor the customer.
6. Competitors may win:
Since, there is a lack of trust the competitors will definitely try to take advantage of this situation. In a such a case the competitors may even bribe the employees of the company and seek important information from them.
Trust, But Verify It:
Employers must trust their employees, but at the same time they shall verify it in order to know that the employees are worthy of their trust. This can be done by ‘Leadership Trust Score’ done annually. Here the company can judge what works best for themselves and their employees. By doing this the company will get to know where they stand in terms of trustworthiness of their employees.
Similarly, the employees shall undertake any kind of test to know whether they can actually trust their coworkers and employer. By doing this they will get to know that are they engaged in the correct place and do they have growth prospects or not.
Every company dreams of having strong trust between its employees so that the company may progress at a faster rate. For this, the company shall take all the possible steps. Even the employees shall never think that the other will take the first step towards a better working relationship. They themselves should initiate towards a better working atmosphere.
So, just go out there and take that first step towards a new beginning.
