Leadership trust crisis: strategies for retaining the workforce

And if this were the case, you’d do the minimum required to satisfy that person, which is why the findings from a recent Gallup poll are so concerning about leadership trust.

Gallup’s recent findings reveal that only 23% of U.S. employees strongly trust their organization’s leadership. This statistic is particularly concerning given the backdrop of significant organizational changes, including mergers, acquisitions, layoffs, and shifts back to in-office work.

For these initiatives to succeed, it is crucial for managers to cultivate a trusting relationship with their team members.

As organizations navigate these critical transitions, the need for effective leadership becomes paramount. Leadership trust serves as the foundation for employee engagement and overall morale.

By building trust, leaders can ensure smoother transitions during times of change and cultivate a more committed and productive workforce.

Here’s how leaders can build trust with their team members:

Be transparent

Leadership trust isn’t something you can buy. Trust must be earned and starts with transparency. Although it may sometimes feel uncomfortable to be completely honest with your employees, this is required to build a strong foundation of trust.

However, there may be situations when transparency is not an option for a leader. Let’s suppose you are a manager who is privy to confidential information, such as an upcoming layoff. One of your employees shares that they’re considering buying a new home and asks you if her job is safe.

You don’t want to lie to her, yet you can’t tell her the truth. Here’s what you can do instead: You can say, “As much as we’d all like a guarantee that our jobs are safe, that’s not our reality. However, if it were me, I’d delay a major purchase like this until the year-end results are announced.”

In this scenario, you’re being as transparent as you can and hopefully preventing an employee who will most likely be on the layoff list from making a major financial decision she may soon regret.

Keep your word

Why do so many leaders find it difficult to keep their word? Most people don’t wake up daily thinking, “Who can I lie to today?” Yet, day in and day out, leaders are less than truthful, which is eroding trust among their employees.

Here’s why leaders lie: People hate confrontation and will do anything, including lying, to avoid it.

We all know someone who was promised a raise or a promotion and then got nothing. Or people who were promised performance reviews but are still waiting for those reviews to take place.

When leaders bring people onto their teams, they do so with the assurance they’ll take care of them. Workers quickly conclude you can’t be trusted when you don’t keep your word.

Here are some things leaders can do to ensure they keep their word:

• If you learn a promised raise or promotion is no longer available, tell your employees the news immediately. Admittedly, staff members won’t like the message. However, most will appreciate your honesty, which seems to be in short supply these days.
• If you’re behind on employee reviews, let your people know. Tell them when you expect to be able to deliver their review and mark this date on your calendar. If, for some reason, you’re still unable to meet your deadline, let them know immediately, and be sure you tell them any changes to their salary will be made retroactively.

Also read: Workable recruiting data: key job trends and hiring insights

Right wrongs

At times, leaders may be made aware of wrongdoings in the organization. While these wrongdoings may not feel like a priority, they certainly are to the person bringing the matter to their attention.

For example, suppose one of your top employees comes to you because she feels she is being paid considerably less than her male colleagues, who are doing the same work. Her timing could be better, as you’ve just been given a mammoth assignment that requires your full attention.

Trusted leaders would put their own needs aside and immediately begin to investigate the situation that is weighing heavily on their employee’s mind, even if that means they need to work on their own tasks over the weekend.

Or suppose in a meeting you dismissed an employee’s idea as being wrong. However, in retrospect, you believe you may have been too hasty. Circling back to that employee to let them know that their idea is worth further consideration will help you build a more trusting relationship with that team member.

People don’t leave companies; they leave people.

People don’t leave companies; they leave people. When employees trust their leaders, they are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere. This underscores the importance of leaders consistently working to establish and maintain trust, especially during times of change. For organizations aiming to attract and retain top talent, fostering trust is essential.