How to build employee trust

Cultivating employee trust is a key principle of effective communication, leadership and teamwork.

A lack of employee trust can be damaging to levels of employee engagement and overall business outcomes. Here are three ways to foster employee trust and boost performance:

Be honest
Open and honest communication helps to create trust as employees are informed of any changes that affect them and what is happening in the business. Creating a transparent culture where business leaders acknowledge their shortcomings as much as their successes helps to gain employee respect and boost confidence.

Recognise efforts
Recognition of good work is a surefire way to promote trust. Acknowledging efforts, especially in public, can help motivate employees to continually strive to do better and also inspires other team members to aim high. Providing frequent recognition helps employees to feel valued and certain about their performance and therefore, more likely to stay with your business.

Encourage autonomy
Show employees they are trusted by providing them with greater autonomy in their work. Autonomy provides employees with a sense of control, responsibility and ownership over their work. High levels of autonomy are associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and motivation.