New research out of Rutgers University has reached some important conclusions about why managers need to prioritize building trust with employees:
- Trust works because it fosters trustworthy behaviors.
- Distrusting employees often backfires and creates resentment.
- Managers must actively demonstrate that they trust employees for any positive effects of trust to emerge.
- The positive impact of trust (or negative effect of distrust) is directly related to organizational culture and norms. When you promote trust, don’t expect one-size-fits-all results.
- Managers need to understand that their acts of trust can create a chain reaction wherein trust spreads throughout the entire organization.
The authors observed, “Many companies monitor employee behavior in order to boost productivity, and this practice has become increasingly prevalent during the pandemic. However, greater oversight can be interpreted by employees as a signal of distrust and potentially have unintended negative consequences.”
