How to build trust with your employees

Trust is an intrinsic part of what makes a great company culture. It represents respect and workplace satisfaction, and it needs to be nurtured to grow in a positive light.

Employees that trust in each other, in the management, in the brand, and in the nature of their work may be far less likely to want to jump ship, and in the era of the great resignation, working to retain your talent is more important than ever before.

If you feel as though you could be doing a little more to foster trust in the workplace, here are some tips you might find useful.

Practice your listening skills

Effective communication is the key to building trust, and this all starts with active listening. Listening skills are often an underestimated aspect of communication in the workplace, but their many great benefits shouldn’t go ignored, not when everyone has their own unique and valuable viewpoints.

By encouraging your employees to voice their thoughts and feelings and then listening to them earnestly, you can start to build a transparent working culture. Transparency and honesty go a long way toward building trust in a business, and it looks great for your brand too.

Act on feedback

It’s not enough for you to solicit feedback from your staff. You’ll need to act on that feedback in order to show them you’re willing to take them seriously.

Feedback, whether negative or positive, needs to be taken into account by management. Otherwise, your employees may feel like they don’t have a voice.

If your employees can trust you to make meaningful changes, making those changes only gets easier in the future.

You can warrant feedback via surveys, one-on-one meetings, check-ins, town halls, and plenty of other ways, so make sure you explore all the channels to find the one that resonates most with your employees. Remember, everyone is unique, so what works for one person may not work for another. It’s all about finding the right balance.

Acknowledge your employees’ work

Recognising hard work is crucial. It lets employees know that they aren’t going unnoticed, nor are they toiling away for a brand that doesn’t care about their value or contribution.

Adopting employee recognition programs are a great way to increase the amount of regular appreciation being delivered within your teams, either from managers to staff, or from peer to peer.

Rewards can be a good motivator, too, especially when they’re meaningful ones that reflect real value.

Grant freedom and space to your employees

It’s worth dropping the dreaded micromanagement in favour of employee freedom. For your employees to trust you, they need to first be trusted.

Trust can give employees the freedom they need to thrive and take on their responsibilities, so it’s worth granting them the space they need to do their job.

However, this doesn’t mean taking away their guidance, as a little direction can go a long way. Make sure you’re there to help and advise them should they need you.

Be inclusive

Everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable at work, no matter who they are or where they’re from. Developing an inclusive workplace can make life better for everyone and build trust in you and your brand.