Building Trust in the Workplace

by Doug Thornton, Management Consultant

Public sector workers increasingly experience workplace depression, anger and anxiety. Employee assistance program usage is up, as is long-term stress leave. Anger and conflict seem to be skyrocketing. What is causing these disturbing trends?

Partly, they are symptoms of an aging workforce struggling to adapt to a constantly changing work environment. Organizational health and wellness experts say that growing rates of non-work-related depression, marital and relationship problems are spilling over into the workplace. And many new employees, the 18-35 year olds, view management with greater cynicism and exhibit less loyalty than their older counterparts, sparking another source of potential workplace tension.

An aging workforce, stressful lifestyles and a generation gap tell only part of the story. The people that file into government offices every day also bring with them two desires: 1) to contribute their unique workplace talents; and 2) to know that their job makes a difference in the world. When these same employees perceive an absence of trust, self-preservation overcomes their desire to contribute and productivity declines. If the perceived lack of trust is chronic, people simply give up, do the bare minimum or turn to more disruptive pursuits such as gossiping.

Is there a cure for this growing epidemic of stressed, unhappy and cynical Canadian public sector employees? The answer is “Yes” or more accurately, “Yes, but…” Yes, you can help employees become more productive and more fulfilled. Yes, you can improve their ability to cope with change and reduce their anxiety. Yes, you can reduce stress-related leaves and break down the negativity and cynicism of employees.

But, you can only accomplish these goals if you gain their trust. Building workplace trust requires that managers respect some pretty strict principles.

BE CREDIBLE
To earn employees’ trust, you have to be credible. Credibility is the ability to inspire belief in others. It need not be gained through heroic achievement. People will find you credible if you consistently follow through on your commitments to them. For example, if you suggest regular staff meetings to improve office communications, schedule them and show up prepared to discuss important, topical matters. If you talk about having an open door policy, then leave your door open and listen to employees’ relevant concerns. If you are mandated to evaluate employees periodically, make these sessions a meaningful opportunity to give and receive feedback and to explore training and professional development opportunities.The bottom line: If you don’t follow through on your commitments to staff, don’t expect your employees to follow through either.

BE RESPECTFUL
In the past, managers were automatically accorded respect because of their position. This is no longer true, particularly among younger employees steeped in the culture of challenging authority, ‘flat’ organizations and non-hierarchical environments. Times have changed – you will have to earn respect by being respectful. One easy way is to actively support the professional development of your employees. A second strategy is to encourage employee feedback, including the expression of genuine doubt, knowing that the doubters, once won over, become the strongest advocates.

You must also look for opportunities to demonstrate that you value employees’ opinions by collaborating with them and by giving them credit for their contributions. Finally, within the confines of collective agreements, make reasonable provisions to accommodate events in their private lives. A little understanding goes a long way towards building trust.

PLAY FAIR
People can recall, in great detail and several years after a specific event, instances when they were betrayed in the workplace – when a boss took credit for their idea or when they were passed over for promotion because of office politics. Competence must be the sole basis for promotion and opportunity within your work unit. If people perceive that their best efforts are not going to be recognized, they will give up trying. Similarly, any perception that certain employees are the “office favourites” must be dispelled. There are many positive ways to do this – by rotating committee chairs, passing around high profile assignments and by sharing supervisory opportunities. Even if some employees demonstrate a lack of skills, they gain experience and a greater appreciation for those skills. It also provides you with an opportunity to provide such employees with effective, specific training opportunities.

ENCOURAGE TEAMS
It takes about two years to develop a trusting relationship with another person. In the civil service, managers and employees often change jobs too quickly for trust to develop. How then do people develop trusting relationships? The answer is by using teams wherever possible. Small groups of people working toward a common goal are the best vehicles for developing trusting behaviours. Once people establish provisional trust with one another, the groundwork is laid to shift organizational culture from the random interaction of individuals to focused, supportive and highly functioning teams. Teams build trust; trust builds effective organizations.

In December 2003,British Columbia introduced “Building Workplace Trust” sessions as part of their core competency training initiative for managers and employees. After attending a recent Building Workplace Trust session in Victoria with his staff of professionals, a manager commented, “I was having issues about how to build my staff into a more effective team. The day was excellent, focused and specific. At first, I thought it was too simplistic but upon reflection I took away specific, job-related concrete actions.”

Gaining the trust of employees requires that managers lead by example, consistently demonstrating credibility, respectfulness and fairness. Effective managers also use teams extensively, capitalizing on civil servants’ innate desire to contribute to the greater good.

Once teams begin to function, provisional trust is established and the organizational culture begins to change. Trust, not its absence, begins to define manager-employee relations, transforming ordinary branches into effective, productive work units.



Doug Thornton is a BC-based management consultant who works with public and private sector organizations. His website is www.buildingworkplacetrust.com and his email is info@buildingworkplacetrust.com.