V9.15: Workplace Trust During A Pandemic

Trust is everything. It really defines how your productively your team works together. In today’s forced work from home courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that challenge has reached new heights. While trust is hard to establish and easy to break, it is probably the most valuable asset you have in your workplace arsenal. It helps cement the relationships you have with your team and the ones they have with each other.

Entrepreneur.com details out some really great principles on trust in the workplace and we’d love to share our favorites now.

1. “How people handle failure.” When teams trust each other, they are more likely to invest their time and energy into solutions. There is a level of responsibility and accountability that just doesn’t occur when there is no trust. 
2. “Accumulate trust deposits.” Trust comes from all directions and it starts at the top. The best way to accumulate trust is to be transparent. If there is honesty and a lack of gossip, you foster a positive, productive environment. 
3. “Work together to solve pain points.” When groups come together to find solutions and solve problems, they let go of the need to do everything on their own. Trusting your coworkers to accomplish their piece of the puzzle lets you do yours without worry. It allows you to spend more time and effort into innovation and collaboration. 
4. “Small actions over time.” Trust is not something that happens overnight, but little by little over time. Creating a culture of trust within your team happens in small steps. It’s up to you to set the example. 
5. “Sharing stories.” People share stories and open up when you do it first. It’s about empathy and connecting to others. If you set the precedent to initiate conversations, you help the team build themselves up. 
6. “Emotions impact trust levels in the workplace.” The most important part in creating a great culture is allowing for mistakes. If you constantly fear failure, you won’t take any risks. And as we know, taking risks is a vital part in learning, growing, and optimizing for success.

Valued employees work more productively and efficiently and want to set the company up for success. It’s up to us as leaders to foster their integrity and provide opportunities to grow as people.