Building trust At workplace

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SEVEN STEPS TO BUILDING A TRUSTING WORKPLACE

• Jody Urquhart
• All Work No Say

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Step 1Dialogue

• Most importantly, focus on opening th
• lines of communication. Get people talking
• and make it a safe atmosphere for
• employees to share their honest opinions.
• Discuss the importance of open
• communication with all leaders.

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Step 2Acknowledge the Unspeakable

• Do people hate the overtime policy? Do
• You have low morale at the office? Are
• Several managers abusing privileges?
• Touchy issues need to be resolved and
• openly discussed. Many employees will be
• quietly harboring ill feelings about such
• unspeakable.

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• It is essential to open the lines of
• communication. Be careful not to point
• fingers or place blame inappropriately.
• Stick to the facts whats been happening,
• why, and what you intend to do about
• it.

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Step 3Secrecy Breeds Suspicion

• When information or activity is kept secret,
• It is open to misinterpretation, so
• communication is essential. Develop tools
• that help communicate whats going on.

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• Regular email, meetings, newsletters,
• conference calls, or voicemail keep people
• In the know. Any new discussion or
• Planning should be shared with all
• employees sooner than later. Activate your
• Communication system to make
• information accessible.

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Step 4Keep Promises

• Make fewer and better agreements. Dont
• Commit to something that you cant follow
• through with. If you cant honor an
• undertaking or proposal, then say so right
• away and renegotiate. Keep people in the
• know (e.g. we are not going to be able
• to... and heres why...).

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• Express your regrets and talk about what
• you plan to do about the problem.
• Communicate that everyone should be
• accountable every level of staff should
• keep promises. Involve the whole group
• and advocate everyones accountability.
• Invest in commitments.

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Step 5Eliminate Ambiguous Behavior

• Anything that isnt necessary, or that you
• cant justify, eliminate. There should be a
• sound purpose for all activities.

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Step 6Managers Need to Model Trust

• Is management consistent, predictable,
• and trustworthy? All managers should be
• evaluated along with staff.

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Step 7Rules Should Be Treated as Guidelines, Not
Solutions

• Employee judgment should be valued to
• create trusting relationships.

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• Involve, Involve, Involve. If employees
• come to you with a concern, why not
• involve them in the solution? Let them
• gather a task force and come up with
• several possible solutions to present to
• management and other staff. The more
• involved the naysayers are, the more the
• problem becomes their own and they take
• responsibility for it (and the way they feel).

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• Implement each of the above seven steps
• in phases. The creation of an open trusting
• work environment that involves and
• includes employee input means that all
• feelings need to be heard, including
• criticism. Management must be prepared
• to welcome and handle employee
• criticism.

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