Building trust in the workplace should be a priority for all business leaders. Trust between yourselves and your employees creates a desirable workplace culture, where employees feel heard and supported. If you feel like your workplace is struggling to build trust, keep reading this article for some guidance. Below – are eight things that all business leaders can do to help. We will discuss factors like company cards and open-door policies. Let’s get started.
Listen To Employee Feedback
If employees do not feel heard, it is unlikely that they will be able to put their trust in the organisations they work for. This is why all business managers must encourage and listen to employee feedback. Are there specific areas of the business that they feel need improvement? Or maybe they require additional software to aid them in their roles?
Holding regular meetings gives your employees an opportunity to voice their opinions. Not only do you need to listen to this feedback, but you should also act on it. This shows your employees that you have acknowledged their concerns, and they can trust that you have made the necessary changes to make it right. If you struggle to hold effective meetings, take a look at a guide to chairing meetings successfully online.
Don’t Be Afraid To Be Honest
If you want to build trust, you must be honest with your employees. Hiding valuable information can cause an atmosphere in the workplace, leading to bigger problems further down the line. Sometimes, we must tell our employees information they might not want to hear. However, a good manager understands what employees need to know and delivers sensitive information in a considerate manner.
Mistakes can happen in any business. However, being honest about them to your team encourages you to be supportive of one another. You will find that nine times out of ten, your employees will appreciate your honesty. It encourages them to put their trust in you moving forward. Rather than letting it affect business operations, you can work together to overcome these problems, building a supportive workplace culture.
Attend Team Building Events
Building trust in your workplace is difficult if your employees have not had the time to get to know one another. Now, many workplaces have adopted a hybrid working model. This means some employees work remotely while others work in the office. Although this working model has benefits, it does mean that not all of your employees get to meet face to face.
A great way to bring them together to create more relationships built on trust is to attend team-building activities. Team building activities encourage communication between your employees and allow them to get to know each other. Each team member must enlist their trust in others to work collaboratively on tasks and reach success. They can also be a lot of fun, and it is an opportunity for your employees to get to know each other on a more personal level – outside of the office.
Issue Company Cards
Do your employees need to fund expenses while on the job? Maybe they need to purchase new materials or pay for a client lunch? There is no denying that putting every transaction through a detailed expense system can take a lot of time. So, if you want to show your employees that you trust them, you can issue them with a corporate credit card.
All payments can be made on a credit card, and employers can track these expenses by choosing corporate cards backed by powerful financial software. Payhawk are an excellent example as their company cards have built-in spend policies that give you greater control and many other fantastic features. So, you can trust your employees with the card – but monitor it closely to ensure they are not overspending.
Acknowledge Hard Work
If you want to create relationships within your workplace built on trust and respect, you must acknowledge your employees’ hard work. After all, without them, your business would struggle to survive. Most employees will experience stressful weeks at work, especially when the workload is high. However, a small token of appreciation can be enough to give them the motivation they need to carry on and strive for success.
Doing this shows your employees that you appreciate them, and it can build a positive workplace culture. There are plenty of things that employers can do to acknowledge hard work. Take a look at some example employee perks online. It doesn’t always have to be something extravagant. Sometimes, a simple “thank you” can be enough to build that respect between one another.
Prioritise Communication
Miscommunication can often lead to a breakdown in trust. So, business leaders must be confident communicators who can deliver information effectively. As well as being able to communicate with your employees, you also need to listen to them. Allow them to talk while having a discussion. They may have some questions that need answering.
Allowing them to talk shows them you care about what they have to say. It can help them feel valued rather than being shut down. You should also ensure that your team can easily communicate with one another, even if some team members are working remotely. For this, you will need to integrate communication software into your business processes. Video conferencing and messaging platforms are a good place to start.
Implement An Open-Door Policy
How can your employees trust their bosses – if they don’t make time for them? Many employees are often scared to reach out to their managers for fear of disturbing them from their busy schedules. Unfortunately, this means that many employees keep their concerns to themselves. They do not have the confidence to open up to their managers. Luckily, there is a way around this, and that is to implement an open-door policy.
An open-door approach is a technique often used by managers. The idea is that the supervisor or manager schedules a designated time to leave their office door open. It encourages transparency with employees, encouraging them to open up and communicate with their managers. You can learn more about how to create an open-door policy by referring to some online resources. It is a simple technique, but one that is highly effective.
Delegate Roles
Employees are likely to feel trusted by their organisations if they are given additional responsibility. Understandably, it can be tricky to put your trust in someone else, especially when you have worked hard to create a successful business. However, to build trust, you must learn to delegate roles and responsibilities effectively.
You can give employees these opportunities as a reward for hard work. It shows them that you trust them, giving them the motivation they need to increase productivity. It will likely influence their loyalty to your company too. Once employees feel like their organisation trusts them with career progression, they are more likely to stay rather than look for a job elsewhere, which will positively influence your company’s retention rate.
Summary
By using these top tips above, all businesses around the globe will be able to build trusting relationships with their employees. Trust is vital for the success of any business. If your employees are happy and feel valued, they will continue contributing to your company’s success for the foreseeable future.