Did you know that, according to research and data, 58% of people claim they trust strangers more than their bosses and that 58% of managers claim they never received any form of training to be managers or to help them be better managers?
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Most of your employees probably don’t trust their bosses. And it’s probably because those bosses didn’t have much training to help them manage others effectively and because those bosses aren’t sure how to gain their employees’ trust.
Here are a few things your managers can do to build trust with their employees.
Give Employees More Autonomy
If your managers want their employees to trust them, they need to trust their employees first. Managers should allow employees to manage their own projects when appropriate and give them opportunities for flexible work arrangements.
Employees who are offered more autonomy over their work tasks and schedules are more proactive and productive. Autonomous employees are also better at solving problems, are happier, and are more accountable. Plus, micromanagers are especially detrimental to any organization.
Solicit Employees’ Feedback Often
If managers want to build trust with their employees, then they must solicit their feedback. They must trust their employees to help them solve problems and innovate and shouldn’t micromanage every project, task, etc.
Managers must also be willing to hear employee criticisms and insight so that they, too, can continue to improve and engage in meaningful dialogue. Employees who feel as if their viewpoints matter will be more inclined to trust their leaders.
For more details, read “7 Sources of Employee Feedback You Should Explore ASAP.”
Offer Employees Respect and Recognition
To build trust with their employees, managers must also respect and recognize the efforts of their individual employees. They shouldn’t only offer criticism and bark orders or commands. When employees are recognized for their efforts at work, they feel valued and are motivated to do more.
What’s more, respected employees will trust that their managers notice and value their work, too, and will, therefore, trust their managers more. They know that they will receive recognition and praise when they’re due and that their managers won’t take all the credit for their individual contributions and efforts.
Lead with Integrity and Transparency
Above all else, managers must be honest and transparent with their employees if they want to garner their trust. Managers must be consistent, honest, and accountable and model the behavior they seek from their employees if they want their employees to trust them. Otherwise, employees will view them as hypocrites and deem them untrustworthy.
If you want your organization’s managers to build trust with their employees, encourage them to perform the actions mentioned above.