Building Trust With Your Employees

Here’s a question for you: Do you trust your employees?

Some industries don’t. In fact, some industries prefer it that way. Based on limited experience, I’d say the military and similar government organizations don’t trust their employees by default. They prefer employees to do their job, as dictated to them by “The Powers That Be,” and not to ask too many questions. Employees are not encouraged or empowered to make their own decisions. After all, if no one makes a decision, no one can be criticized for it.

But that’s the military and the government. What about the business world?

This question reminds me of a conversation I had with my cousin who owns DGA Security, a New York-based security systems installer. When interviewing business clients, my cousin always asks, “Do you trust your employees?” In all honesty, the answer doesn’t matter to my cousin. But there are different security controls that he’ll put in place depending on the answer to that fundamental question. So what does that say about employer-employee trust?

Granted, I prefer to trust my employees. I’ve even written a post about tips on building relationships with virtual assistants. And I’ve written about the benefits of being proactive employers and employees. So I think there’s a simple response to the question, “Do you trust your employees?” The answer should be “Do your employees trust you?”

Having employees you can trust is essential to having a successful business. Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to start your first small business or a start-up company, your company’s backbone is the people you employ. And if you can’t trust your employees to do their job, then you can’t do your job — because you’re spending all your time looking over your employees’ shoulders rather than focusing on your business.

So how can we start building trust with our employees so that we, in turn, can trust them? It’s an elegantly simple solution. We all know that to gain respect, you have to give respect. It’s no different with trust. To gain trust, you have to build trust. But how do we do this?

Here’s five ways to get you started:

1. Treat Employees with Respect: Don’t second guess your employees, and don’t assume that everything they need or want is bad for your business. If an employee needs a day off for personal reasons, realize they do have a life outside your business. Trust them to use that time properly, and they’ll come back to work ready to work without being preoccupied by matters outside the workplace. They’ll be more committed to you as an employer because now they know they can trust you to understand their needs.
2. Don’t Micromanage: Hanging over your employee’s shoulder several times a day immediately tells your employee that you don’t trust them or their judgment. If you want them to trust you, let them do their work, but make it clear they can always come to you with questions if they have them. Employees are adults. Treat them like adults, and you’ll earn their trust — and empower them to be more productive.
3. Challenge Employees: Show your trust in your employees by challenging them with new projects or assignments. Push them to do their best work. Empower them to come up with ideas, assignments, and solutions on their own. Not only will they respect you, but they’ll come to trust you. And if they trust you, they may feel safe in bringing ideas or creative solutions to the table that could help your business.
4. Acknowledge Your Employees: Employees who receive acknowledgement for their continued hard work or for creative problem solving are far happier in their jobs and with their employers. They feel as if they’re part of the business, as if they matter. By acknowledging them, they know that they can trust you to understand the value of their contributions, enabling them to become invested in the success of your business.
5. Include Your Employees: In the business world, employees are often the last to know. Frequently, this can breed suspicion and mistrust. But it’s easy to build trust with your employees by keeping them up-to-date on any changes within the company. You don’t need a lengthy meeting for this. In fact, an informal e-mail or a casual five minute conversation will work. Let them hear it from you — not from co-workers.

Whether we trust our employees or whether they trust us becomes a bit of a “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” scenario. But bottom line: When employers and employees trust each other, it’s a win-win situation — for you and the success of your business.

For more ways to build trust with your employees, watch Jason Fried’s talk “Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work” from the 2010 TEDxMidwest Conference.