Why Trust is Important in the Workplace?

Anuradha is a Talent Architect with over 18+ years of experience in FMCG/Technology/Telecom/Ecommerce and Automobile Industry, across APAC, US & EMEA regions, in the areas of talent acquisition thought leadership, technology solutions and business driven models. An IIM Lucknow alumnus, Anuradha has a penchant for designing and implementing innovative workforce strategies and processes for accelerated growth of the organisations. She is currently appointed as the National Head for Talent Acquisition at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd.

What’s the one thing that impacts an employee’s performance in an organisation, other than rewards and recognition and engagement policies? It’s trust.

Like all relationships, trust forms the basis of the employee-employer relationship as well. In order to weather storms thrown by competition and build a stronger company vision, it is important for organisations to be able to create a strong sense of trust in the workplace.

A friend of mine called me the other day to let me know that one of her team members have been moved to a different team by her manager without any discussion with her. What do you think of this situation?? Did you notice that something was missing?? You guessed it right!! Yes, it was the Workplace Trust that was missing!

When it comes to the issue of employee performance in an organization creating a sense of trust is one of the key factors to be considered. Trust forms the basis of all relationships and interactions. It is just as important in professional relationships as it is in personal ones.

A company that is able to create a strong sense of trust in the workplace is better able to weather the storms thrown up by the competition and have a clearer vision of what the company stands for.

Successful businesses are built on relationships. Relationships between employers and employees, staff and customers, internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. At the foundation of all relationships is trust. Without each party trusting one another the ability to come to an agreement or consensus on an issue is always going to be compromised. If a workplace is able to foster a strong sense of trust within their organization they can see benefits of:

• Increased productivity & morale amongst employees
• The ability to work more effectively as a team, rather than individuals
• Reduce the time to discuss key issues as each individual trusts the judgment and expertise of their colleagues.

So how exactly do you Build Trust in the Workplace?

Trust is built through actions, not words. As a Leader in an organisation, you can’t just say you “trust” a particular employee or team, you need to show that you do, through the actions you take on a daily basis.

In addition to the trust you show to your team, you must also enable the trust to flow between employees, teams, and departments. You can help build trust in the workplace by:

• Empowering staff to “own” their day to day responsibilities.
• Allowing teams to make decisions and put together their own proposals that they believe benefit the business.
• Being open and transparent on key decisions/ changes to business process or procedure.
• Refrain from treating anyone or any team more favourably than others. The attention on one particular person or team.

Finally, you should understand your employees’ expectations of you as a leader. It is easy for lack of trust to develop when an employee feels when you as a leader has unrealistic expectations of them, and also not able to provide clarity about their roles.

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, “Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don’t fall into the river.” The little girl said: “No, Dad. You hold my hand.” “What’s the difference?” asked the puzzled father.

“There’s a big difference,” replied the little girl. “If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let go of my hand.

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you put faith and trust in rather than expecting them to hold yours.”

The trust that leaders place in those they lead allows both the leader and her/his followers to excel. It is not a momentary event but a series of investment over time that truly allows success.