You can’t always control how you experience trust in the workplace, but you have control how you act to promote trust. People who trust each other’s coworkers tend to extend their trust to the larger organization as well. This, in turn, draws forth trust from others. Once trust is broken, it can be hard or even impossible to rebuild. The following are ways to build trust from the beginning and preserve it in your workplace.
• Hire and promote people, who are capable of forming positive, trusting interpersonal relationships at all levels of the organization.
• Transparency-Keep staff members truthfully informed. Provide as much information as you can comfortably divulge as soon as possible in any situation.
• Act with integrity and keep commitments. If you cannot keep a commitment, explain what is happening in the situation without delay. Current behavior and actions are perceived by employees as the basis for predicting future behavior. Supervisors who act as if they are worthy of trust will more likely be followed with fewer complaints.
• Confront difficult issues in a timely fashion. If an employee has excessive absences or spends work time wandering around, it is important to confront the employee about these issues. Other employees will watch and trust you more.
• Listen- Exhibit empathy and sensitivity to the needs of staff members. Trust grows out of the belief that you understand and can relate.