How To Get Employees To Trust Managers
If you've ever watched a suspense movie, you would have noticed that creeping sense of fear
and tension as it draws to a close. Just like in the movies, your workplace could be suffering
from a toxic work culture.
With problems like poor performance, infighting and high turnover being indicators, you don't
need a movie director to know that something is wrong. As with any organisational problem,
management’s ability to motivate and inspire others can solve many a problem.
New policies and practices are empowering HR leaders to manage and retain talent by creating
an atmosphere of trust. By combining modern methods with honest ideals, employers can
establish trust between management and employees better and even improve employee
performance. Here are some ways for you to build trust between management and employees.
Employee Engagement
Asking employees to blindly follow orders is a thing of the past. Build engagement with
employees by asking for feedback and acting upon or replying to it. The mere action of an
employee giving honest feedback takes courage. It is a sign of faith they are placing in
management and should be rewarded by you planning and investing resources into following up
on the feedback.
Open-door Policy
For a company to run successfully there has to be clear and honest communication between
employees and management. The office design should put employees at ease and allow them
to discuss issues without any fear of repercussions. By having an open-door policy, you make a
strong statement on the level of confidence that management and employees share. The
employees should know that the actions being taken are in line with company ideals and
objectives. It is also a way for managers to provide constructive criticism or reward exceptional
performance so that employees keep improving.
Human Connect
It is healthy for managers to recognise employees and their emotions. Put yourself in their
shoes and empathise about their feelings, dreams and desires. By following this thought
exercise or observing, you will become a better listener and make your presence felt when
needed. Getting to know an employee socially is important for knowledge sharing and breaking
past boundaries placed by the difference in roles.
Skip Level Meetings
During skip level meetings, managers get together with employees to discuss departmental
concerns, obstacles and opportunities for improvement. This informal setting builds more
effective relationships with employees and creates open lines of communication by allowing
everyone's thoughts and ideas to be acknowledged. If the manager is distant from employees,
establish rapport through conversations beforehand for the skip level meeting to work to its
fullest extent.
Openness and Transparency
Terms like openness and transparency go beyond simple words on a company website or the
mission statement. Creating a culture of openness and transparency leads to honesty,
transparent business practices and far more trust from both employees and management.

Discuss decision-making criteria openly and listen to feedback while ensuring organisational
policies and procedures are applied fairly and equally. Employees that see a genuine
commitment to transparency and understand the beliefs that motivate senior management place
much more faith in an organisation.
Inclusion and Diversity
As per a 2018 report by Grant Thornton, women account for less than a quarter (24%) of senior
roles globally. With such low diversity numbers, senior management is already at a
disadvantage when facing inclusion and diversity issues. Dealing with such issues shows
that management Is agile enough to adapt to a changing workforce, whether it be age, gender
or any other criteria, and have your employees’ best interests at heart. Encourage employees to
form relationships with each other and make room for policies that encourage known and
anonymous feedback on the organisation's stance on diversity and inclusion. If senior
management takes an active role in helping everyone advance, work culture is bound to
improve as employees get opportunities to develop and grow.
Provide Freedom
As Millennials and Generation Z assume a larger role in the workforce, managers need to
prepare for a generation of people looking to connect to their work. With work such a significant
part of their lives, millennial and Generation Z employees desire creative outlets and a sense of
purpose. Understanding their tech-savvy and independent nature, managers will be appreciated
for placing trust in them and giving them space to work. If done right, investing in these
employees will pay dividends for many years to come.
While easily lost, trust is not easily earned and is even more difficult to replace. Difficult as it
might be to establish, trust is the bedrock for any business to run smoothly, impacting a
company’s bottom line, culture and business practices. Trust begins at the top so make a
conscious effort to align your behaviour with company values and keep improving employee-
manager relations.