Trust is a key component in creating a harmonious and productive work environment made up of effective professional relationships. A betrayal of trust, albeit it unintentional, can alienate workers from their colleagues, cause communication barriers and affect teamwork.
Companies that promote a culture of trust more easily succeed, as with trust comes an efficient work environment.
Failure to address and resolve a betrayal promotes a culture of distrust that can lead to greater disloyalties and a dysfunctional team.
Trust is based on honesty which is a value that all staff members from leadership to entry level need to display.
Want to be trusted in the workplace? Don’t be caught out doing any of the following:
Telling lies – Telling any form of a lie is a quick way to break a bond of trust. People may accept it once, but honesty is the best policy. You might convince yourself telling a small white lie is for the betterment of the company, the situation or even for your colleagues to hear, but the consequence might be detrimental to you and your team. If your team don’t believe they can rely on you to be honest, you will ostracize yourself which means your effectiveness will be diminished which affects the full team.
Withhold information – Communication is critical in a company, so when information is withheld or even stalled, the effective communication channels shut down, and the ineffective communication channels take rise in the form of rumours and misinformed information being relayed. It is at this stage that trust falls apart and is so hard to regather after true information is shared as the team members are wary what to believe. Open and honest communication is important up the ladder and down the ladder.
Inconsistent behaviour – when you act or speak inconsistently it really confuses people and
they won’t know whether to trust you or not, as you change your mind or behaviour so quickly. Always try to be clear in your mind what you want to say before you say it, so that it will be clear to others. Clear and consistent communication builds trust. It is also important for a manager to be consistent on how they manage people and how they use company policies, irregularity will weaken the trust of your subordinate team.
Personal goals – Colleagues will find it challenging to build a trusting relationship with peers if they seem to have their personal goals ahead of the team’s. If it seems you have your own interests at heart and everyone else will be a casualty in your path to success, I can assure you your road to success will be challenging as there are no solo players in the workplace. You will not only lose respect, but the trust of those around you.
Not being reliable – A team member who goes home when the rest of the team is struggling to meet a goal, or arrives late for meetings, misses deadlines and is generally just unreliable won’t be trusted. Even worse is if a team member can’t be relied on to be keep confidentiality.
It is important to build a culture of trust as it makes the workplace environment conducive for healthy relationships, increases productivity, encourages creativity and innovation and instills commitment and enthusiasm.
