Trust Deficit At Work

When we hear the word ‘trust’, the immediate impression one develops is of belief and confidence in an individual and his/her abilities. This belief can be held for an individual in his/her personal and professional sphere of life. As per a recent global survey, about 90% Indian employees believe that trust at work must be earned.

The survey further suggests that 64% employees believe that showcasing trust in their abilities has a direct impact on their productivity and belonging at work. An Accenture report also states that employees at organizations with a high degree of trust are 74% less stressed at work, thereby benefiting the company’s bottom line. There is a growing awareness of how trust at the workplace needs to be maintained amongst employees, and most importantly between management and the general workforce. The lack of it results in a work environment of trust deficit which can heavily impact business.

What Is Trust Deficit?

To put it simply, trust deficit refers to the lack of belief or faith an employee has in his/her organization or its leaders. This can lead to a lower productivity rate and lack of interest to work. When employees don’t believe in their employers, they look for opportunities to jump ship to an organization which generates the said trust and motivates them to work harder.

What Causes Trust Deficit?

1) Egocentrism

A factor that creates distrust between an employee and his/her leader is egocentric behavior. Those employers who share information or make specific decisions that empower only a certain group of employees are consciously costing the organization’s investments in the employees. This continued behaviour signals a leader’s inability to trust the team under any circumstance. When such situations occur too regularly, the inability to trust teams trickles down faster, affecting each employee ultimately. Secrecy rises and soon one is left helpless in a toxic environment.

2) Communication gap

Trust deficit can occur when there is breakdown in communication between a leader and its workforce. When leaders communicate with a select few, it indicates that only certain employees are “trustworthy”, and that the organization doesn’t have faith in its workforce. This attitude can create silos, affecting output and weakening an employee’s loyalty towards the company.

3) Lack of empathy

The lack of empathy shown by a leader towards his/her team members paves the way for trust deficit within a workforce. When a manager or leader refrains from getting involved with their team’s woes, in order to maintain a “professional relationship”, it causes more harm than good. Misconceptions of being indifferent and “rude” around certain managers start to increase. This can widen the trust gap between an employer and employee, ultimately shaking the foundation of running a business.

Techniques To Bridge Trust Deficit

1) Acceptance

While ideating, problem solving or working together in general, employers must invite suggestions, ideas and feedback. Moreover, instead of focusing on being right, open the platform to understand other perspectives of a situation and how things can be done differently. By creating this platform to hear other voices, it instills a safe environment that encourages positive criticism, thus building a work culture that is more accepting and fairer.

2) Frequent interaction

A good leader is one who looks out for the team through thick and thin. Leaders must put aside their personal preferences or biases and focus on communicating with the team at large to imbibe a sense of belonging amongst everyone. It is essential to share information that impacts the workforce at large to everyone in the company. Additionally, taking the time to know the team outside of work can improve interpersonal relationships. This signifies a culture of caring and friendly communication.

3) Compassion

While leaders might not want to come across as being emotional, demonstrating empathy would be beneficial for building trust within a workforce. By acknowledging your team members’ concerns, it showcases a sense of understanding and compassion a leader should exhibit. Not only does this motivate employees to go the extra mile in times of need, but it also enhances the overall morale of the organization.

Trust serves as the foundational stone for modern day working relationships. Organizational leaders who do not inspire trust cannot bring out the best in their workforce. Bridging a trust deficit takes time and requires equal effort from both, the employee and the employer. When a leader embodies the principle of altruism, regular communication and empathy in his/her professional being, it changes the way trust is built and helps eliminate any form of disbelief and doubt.

Training Workshops Can Drive Empathetic Leadership

Empathy, compassion, approachability and transparency are more than just this year’s workplace buzzwords! The onslaught of the pandemic has more or less levelled the playing field for organizations across the globe. Be it through budget cuts, forced redundancies and other cost-saving measures, companies have scrambled hard and fast to keep their heads above water. And at a time like this, the one virtue that stands out is empathy. But when most managers and leaders are scared of coming across as “weak” when displaying empathy, what can do done? Will simple training workshops be enough?

A combination of long working hours, Zoom fatigue, juggling household responsibilities and taking care of one’s own well-being has taken a severe toll on the way that people are currently functioning. In the early days of the pandemic, citizens of every country had turned towards their leaders for a sense of security and support. The very same principle applied to workplaces. Employees found themselves waiting in anticipation for fresh communication from their leaders and managers, updates on where the business was headed and what the future held for each one of them.

This is where empathetic leadership steps in to take the reins and adapt to the ever-changing economic landscape. In many ways, the pandemic opened doors (albeit virtually) for employers and employees to start having honest conversations about how they’re coping, what’s working well and what needs to change.

While the well-being conversation at Indian workplaces might be a few years (if not months) old, let’s get something straight –

Leaders Cannot Cultivate Empathy Overnight

Workplace culture is a huge indicator of how well adjusted, engaged and happy your employees are. If managers and leaders were never empathetic and accommodating to begin with, there is no secret formula that will help change their behaviour within a short span of time. When it comes to empathy, a top-down approach is fundamental to creating an environment that is built on trust. A compassionate leader is tuned to pay close attention to what their people need, sometimes even before they can vocalize their thoughts. Empathetic leadership calls for bravery in the truest sense of the term. It takes courage to abandon old ways of thinking and lead without having the faintest idea of what lies ahead.

For example, giving your employees the autonomy to choose if they feel comfortable (or not) to return to office is a step in the right direction. Employees are putting their best foot forward at work every day, despite the fear, anxiety and uncertainty that the pandemic has brought with it. Burnout has a massive impact on everything from well-being and engagement to productivity and even employee retention.

And if you look at the numbers, they tell the same story. The Workforce Institute at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) and Workplace Intelligence conducted a survey of 3,900 employees and business leaders across 11 nations. Not surprisingly, they found that burnout and fatigue are EQUALLY concerning for employees working remotely and those in a physical workspace.

What’s Next? Training Workshops

The best that leaders and managers can do is to cultivate empathy, lead with compassion and communicate honestly with their teams about the state of affairs. Training workshops that focus on these aspects can go a long way in helping those in positions of power. Moreover, it helps break the misconception of being empathetic is a sign of weakness!

Arranging frequent training workshops that focus on well-being, physical health and managing stress for example, are great ways to ease the burden, at least a little. Setting clear boundaries and virtual work guidelines through consistent email communication draws attention to the importance of having a work-life balance (yes, despite being stuck at home).

As an organization, be it the CEO or the newest intern, this year has been packed with all sorts of learnings and experiences. Roles at work are evolving. Which is precisely why we need to cultivate empathy for each other, empathy for those infected by the virus and empathy for the innumerable unprecedented situations that organizations find themselves in on a daily basis.