Are you searching for ways to improve employee trust in your company? One of the most effective strategies you can implement in your organization is building a company culture that promotes trust, reliability, and honesty.
From the moment you hire an employee, you need to be open and honest with them about their role in the company and the future of the business. Creating a culture of trust breeds an army of employees that value respect, dedication, commitment, and honesty in your organization.
Here are a few tips you can implement in your business to create a culture of trust and mutual respect in your employees.
Create a Culture of Trust in the Workplace
Every interaction you have with employees should build trust between you and your team while inspiring loyalty to the company. Always tell your employees the truth about the current business environment and the health of the business.
If your employees sense you are lying or intentionally deceiving them about the status of the organization, it will create an environment of uncertainty in your team that sends your business into a death spiral.
Hire Trustworthy Managers
As a business owner, you rely on your management team to direct the day-to-day operations of the company while you plan for the future. Hiring a competent, trustworthy manager is an essential step in building a culture of trust in your organization.
If your managers can’t be trusted, or continually flip-flop on their commitments to your team, your business will begin to fall apart around you. Before you hire a manager, evaluate their personality using employee psychometric testing to ensure their character is a good fit.
Promote from within the Company
Employees prefer working for companies that have a dedicated training and development program. By training your staff, you enable yourself to promote team members to management positions. Hiring from within your team saves the time and effort of finding a suitable candidate from external sources.
Promoting from within the organization provides your team with an incentive to develop their skills and grow within the company. A development program builds trust, loyalty, and a healthy competitive spirit in your staff.
Confront Employee Problems Immediately
Deal with any employee confrontations immediately. Never reprimand employees in front of other team members, this breeds an authoritarian culture that promotes fear. Take the offending parties into another room and try to settle their differences before resorting to disciplinary action.
Be Fair with Everyone
If your organization requires your staff to meet certain obligations, such as a dress code, ensure that all of your employees wear their team uniform and name badges. If your employees refuse to meet this requirement, it will disrupt the culture in your organization and inspire descent in your team.
Be fair with everyone and make sure that you don’t single anyone out for incorrect behaviour Address your team as a whole and ensure everyone understands the importance of following the rules.
Establish an Open-door Policy
Sitting in your office all day with the door closed sends a message to your team that they cannot approach you with issues. This behavior eventually leads to a confrontation with team members as they feel they have nowhere to register a complaint or dispute.
Keep your office door open and encourage your employees to approach you with any issue they’re facing, no matter how insignificant.
Use Teambuilding Exercises Properly
Teambuildingis a valuable exercise any company can use to build a culture of trust. Arrange a teambuilding day that focuses on developing the relationships between members of your team. Make it a fun day, if you’re struggling for ideas, get feedback from your staff and ask them what activities they would enjoy.
Build Trust Step by Step
Building a culture of trust in your company doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and patience, along with training and communication to build trust between team members and management. However, when results start to show from your efforts, you’ll notice it in elevated levels of productivity and improved communications.