5 Steps to Restoring Trust in the Workplace

In yesterday’s Advisor, Claudia St. John defined what trust in the workplace really means; today, she provides five steps to restoring trust if it has become an issue at your company.

Claudia St. John, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the author of Transforming Teams and president of Affinity HR Group, LLC, a national human resources consulting firm serving hundreds of clients nationwide.
When faced with a situation where there is a breakdown in trust, the first intervention is to ask if each party is willing to do the hard work to restore trust. To distrust is a choice, and if one or both parties involved chooses to continue to distrust, it is virtually impossible to improve the dynamic.
Is each party willing to close their eyes and fall back into the other’s arms (metaphorically speaking, of course) even if they have been dropped numerous times in the past? If you get a “No,” then it’s an opportune time to talk about why they are making the decision to distrust.
If they can’t be persuaded to revisit their views, then don’t waste your time—things can’t be fixed. However, if they indicate that they are willing to try again, then the possibility of restoring trust exists. Here are the five steps to do it:

Step 1: Unpack the baggage.

If both parties are willing, set up a time and a neutral place for them to meet with an impartial person (hopefully you!) whom they both trust. Ask each party to be open and honest and to “diagnose” the breakdown in trust.
Was it a lack of sincerity? Was one or both of the parties unreliable? Did someone worry about the competence of the other? What is the true source of the discord? There are typically specific incidents that lead to a breakdown in trust, and sometimes both parties are well aware of it. Often, however, one of the parties is completely unaware of what created the breakdown. Unpack that baggage—you won’t be able to move forward until you do.

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Step 2: Focus on intentions, not actions.

Once you are able to identify the incident that caused the break, the individuals or team of individuals can talk openly about what happened and why it is affecting the relationship. If someone “did something” to the other, try to get to the intention of the action as quickly as possible.

If it was something harmful or hurtful, ask the question, “What was your intention in doing that?” Almost always, the intention is benign—rarely do coworkers want to harm each other. Then, try to reach an agreement: “Can we both agree that, although the action was harmful, the intention was not?” If the answer is yes, keep going! If not, then you still have some unpacking to do.

Step 3: Acknowledge responsibility.

Typically, both parties will have something to take responsibility for. One may have to be responsible for making a bad choice or for failing to keep a promise, while the other may own the fact that he or she jumped quickly to a negative conclusion. If each can take responsibility for some part of the breakdown, then b

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Step 4: Make new promises.

With all of this good work behind you, it is important to be explicit about what new behaviors, actions, or interactions are needed to avoid another breakdown in the future. This is the time to make new promises and to be open about how each will improve in his or her sincerity, reliability, and/or competence. And, try to be as explicit as possible about that promise—the more detailed the better!

Step 5: Be vulnerable … Again.

Trust requires an abundance of vulnerability, of being willing to be affected by the actions (or inactions) of another. Let’s face it, being vulnerable is scary—particularly if someone has let you down in the past. However, it is an essential ingredient to restoring trust. It is also a key component of forgiveness, and the quicker we can forgive and trust, the faster we can rebuild our relationships.

Managing trust in the workplace is challenging, and restoring trust is even more so. But it is not impossible, and it is absolutely necessary if you are to thrive as an organization.