Trust is a funny old issue. It’s hard to describe, and it’s arguably not very measurable. Those who are skeptical of the HR profession might say that it’s exactly the type of thing that we’re known for dealing with – in other words, all fluff and no substance!
Jokes aside though, if there’s a lack of trust between management and employees, and employee and HR, you’re going to run into serious problems. Issues like low productivity, high turnover of staff, and a bad reputation as an employer. All of a sudden, a lack of trust seems a lot more serious doesn’t it?
Trust issues can be caused by a wide variety of factors. It might be the case that you didn’t deliver what you said you would, or you were unable to keep a promise that you made in haste. Sometimes, these things are unavoidable mistakes that leaders will make at some point or another. You can’t change a past mistake you’ve made, but what you can do though, is ensure that you get it right moving forward. Let’s take a look at some of the common things we hear from employees when there is a lack of trust between them and management and we’ve been asked to go in and help the leadership or management team with this issue.
You’re not listening
It would be difficult to overstate just how important communication is between management and employees. If you’re going through the motions with token initiatives and half-hearted activities like staff surveys, where the results are never shared and nothing happens with the results, your workers are going to see through you right away.
You need to put listening at the top of your agenda, and you need to ensure that you’ve got systems in place to facilitate this. How will you regularly engage with individuals? This goes way beyond simply sitting in front of them and smiling and nodding. If you neglect this key element of leadership, your success will be limited. Your staff will give you some real gems in terms of knowledge that will make you better at your job, and better at business. Make sure you and all of your leadership team, take the time to listen and then act upon the things you hear where possible but equally, you need to tell employees when you can’t take action and more importantly why!
You’re not making staff part of the bigger picture
For a business to be successful, everyone’s objectives and focus needs to be in line with the overall organisation’s goals. This simply can’t happen if your employees aren’t encouraged to widen their vision and recognise their contribution and value as a part of the wider team.
A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works here, and it needs to be driven down to an individual basis. Make sure that each member of staff has a link to the leadership team in the form of a guide and mentor who can assess their progress, help them to develop realistic goals, and provide coaching through regular meetings. What this looks like in practice will depend on the structure of your business, and it’s your job to establish how you can make this work for you.
You’re not following through
At the end of the day, you need to actually ensure that you’re giving your employees a very good reason to trust you. You need to be walking the walk, as well as talking the talk. All the initiatives in the world won’t make a single bit of difference if you’re not doing all you can to develop your leadership skills and act with integrity.
All leaders face challenges along the way. Winning the trust of your employees may feel like it’s a constant battle at times, but it’s one that’s very much worth fighting. Accept that you’ll come across setbacks and hold your hands up when you get it wrong.
Working with an experienced HR professional like myself as your coach and trusted advisor will help you to make less mistakes and get these things right most of the time! Working with me and my team to work out why your employees don’t trust you or your leadership/management team could help us to put a plan in place to put that right!
Want to have a free no obligation chat about how I can help you improve your leadership skills or create trust with your employees and reap the rewards of this? Then why not book a virtual cuppa with me here? https://bit.ly/CallMerakiHR
