How to Build Trust With Your Employees

It is a proven fact that if an individual doesn’t trust their boss or is ambivalent about them, they’re less productive, and ultimately, aren't performing to the best of their abilities. 

In a recent article by Harvard Business Review, it stated that “Research shows that when people have a good relationship with their leaders, they’re more motivated, they perform better, and they’re more likely to go the extra mile to support their team”... “Conversely, we know that when people don’t get along with their leaders, they tend to retaliate against them and the organization”. 

So how do you get your employees to trust you? Well, it’s actually fairly simple and ultimately, goes back to the foundations of great communication.

Here are my key 3 strategies for building trust with your employees and fostering strong working relationships...

1. Show that you care. Be personable.

It’s sometimes easier said than done, but showing that you care could be as simple as giving an employee recognition on a project they completed exceptionally well or a big challenge they overcame. The key is to make sure that when you do take the time out of your day to visit with your employees, you make it more personal. Sometimes "check-ins" with employees can actually come off as forced if done incorrectly. Don't just check-in on your employees to say that you did and check that box off of your to-do list. Make it personal.

Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be a long, lengthy conversation, but add a little personability to it. You can start with the general courtesy check-ins like: “How are you doing?”, “Is there anything you want to discuss or need from me?” but, don't forget to personalize the conversation to that particular employee by asking about something completely un-work related. For example: “How was your vacation to the Bahamas?” or “Congrats on your daughter's graduation, you must be so proud!”. Anything you can do to make the conversation personalized to that employee, do it.

And I also want to note: there is a big difference between drawing the line in work relationships and being too friendly, and just being a genuinely good boss. Being more open and caring in casual conversations is a simple way to show personability without drawing that line.

2. Be competent and reliable.

An easy way to identify if there is an underlying tension in your professional relationships is to reflect on the conversations you had when interviewing each of your employees. Did you deliver the expectations you set and the things that you originally negotiated? Maybe a follow-up meeting is necessary to clear the air?

Following through with professional promises and guarantees is critical to building strong working relationships. And sometimes promises do fall through and plans change, it happens in business. However, if it does, it’s important to make an effort to make it known to your employees why you didn't deliver what was promised to them and set new standards and/or expectations, then follow through with those. 

If you didn't stick to your word the first time, you better do everything in your power to stick to it this time. This is your chance to redeem yourself and re-establish that trust.

3. Have integrity and act on strong moral principles.

The easiest way to build trust with others is to just have integrity. Having integrity means that you hold and act on good principles. Put simply: you have nothing but the best intentions.

An easy way to understand whether you do or don’t hold yourself to high morals and ethical values, is to see if the majority of your actions do reflect strong moral and ethical principles, like contributing to the greater good, wanting to help build other people up, being honest and truthful, and mainly just doing the right thing regardless of if it is hard, costly, or dangerous. The key to having integrity is to not just state that you have a strong moral compass, it’s acting in a way that reflects that you do. 

A prime example of individuals that don't have integrity are the ones that record their "random acts of kindness" and share them on social media platforms. If you genuinely are trying to do things for the greater good, that means that you don't need the publicity to feel good about doing them. If you can start doing good deeds and focusing on building others up, without feeling the need to promote it through the media or doing it for the "clout", you will instantly gain the respect and trust of others that you deserve.