According to a new report, 78% of customers say that how a company treats its employees is a leading indicator of the organization’s trustworthiness. Trust also is a key element in whether employees choose to take and keep a job with an organization.
Here are four ways you can help build and sustain employee trust at your organization:
- Communicate regularly. Have regular team check-ins and meetings (both formal and informal). Take opportunities to get to know workers as people. Share organizational accomplishments and successes with them and recognize their contributions.
- Model ethical behavior. Leaders must demonstrate and communicate ethical standards and share why controversial or difficult decisions need to be made.
- Avoid punitive programs. Programs that punish certain behaviors, such as those that penalize smokers or overweight workers, can make people feel shamed, alienated, and disenfranchised. Instead, focus on empowering people to do better instead of shaming them.
- Normalize trust. Establish norms and cultures of trust by making employee care part of daily life at the organization. For example, enable flexibility in when, where, and how people work; seek input from workers on changes, innovations, and plans for large purchases such as a new computer system; and/or encouraging positive social interactions.
