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Trust in the workplace is crucial for employee satisfaction, their performance and therefore central to the success of organizations. So why do so many managers get it so wrong?
What does trust mean in the workplace? It is a measure of relationships and how much one group feels valued and understood by another. The presence of trust indicates a healthy workplace culture and brings a range of benefits to organizations, from resilience and innovation to increased value creation
A trust-based workplace culture is one that focuses on the importance of trust, emotional intelligence and collaboration. In contrast to a command-based work culture, where the manager is more dominant, a trust-based work culture encourages employees to be creative and innovative.
People are generally happier in this type of working environment because they feel they can make a difference. They also enjoy a higher level of autonomy, which allows them to take responsibility for their work and feel more invested in it.
There are a number of misconceptions about trust that leaders often make. These are five of the most common mistakes:
1. building trust is the task of the HR department
Many managers believe that the HR department is responsible for establishing a good culture. They think of motivating benefits, events and the like.
The culture lives every day through our every interaction: How do we make decisions for the company? How do we communicate our decisions?
How do we listen to feedback? How do we show appreciation?
The actions of managers therefore have a direct influence on how employees experience and assess the culture of the organization.
2. trust is not necessary to get work done
Many managers are of the opinion that employees are compensated for their work with a salary. Accordingly, no further trust is required for them to do their job.
But employees who feel supported by their employer are more likely to innovate and contribute to the organization. The best employers know that they need to look after their employees at least as much as they look after their customers. This has a direct and positive impact on sickness absence rates and staff turnover.
3. trust can be built up quickly
Trust is something that can only be built by repeatedly delivering on promises. After an organization surveys its employees, they often expect problems to be fixed immediately. But building trust takes time - it's not instant.
A cultural change realistically takes at least 18-24 months. The same applies to building trust in the workplace. Recognizable progress can only be achieved over the course of years, anything less is not realistic. However, it is all the more important to start early. The course for a trust-based culture can and must be set today.
4. money can buy trust
Expensive benefits, high social benefits and seemingly motivating bonus models are no substitute for genuine trust in the workplace. These often feel transactional and employees distance themselves emotionally from them. If an employee is unhappy with the work culture, her colleagues or the management team, an excellent childcare offer will not make up for the lack of motivation in the workplace.
5. trust and satisfaction are the same thing
Engagement and satisfaction alone are not good indicators of a trust-based workplace culture. While they are part of it, they can change over time and all employees go through phases of higher and lower engagement.
This is why trust is so important as the basis of the culture. It offers employees the psychological security to be themselves even in difficult phases and to be able to address problems openly.
Do you know whether your organization has a Trust-based workplace culture prevails? And are you sure that this applies to all employees? One Employee Survey helps you to make culture measurable and tangible. You can then use the results to derive evidence-based, effective measures.
