The following is a post from Jason Richmond, President/CEO and Chief Culture Officer for Ideal Outcomes, Inc., a company that has developed remote learning programs for companies of all sizes. Additionally, Jason is the author of Culture Spark: 5 Steps to Ignite and Sustain Organizational Growth. 

When the going gets tough, employees need to know that there’s a strong hand at the helm to steer them through the crisis. More than anything else, they need leadership they can trust.

Trust is fragile, easily broken, and hard to regain—and a workforce that doesn’t have trust in a company’s senior executives becomes dispirited and unproductive. Serious issues of trust that went unnoticed in an office setting were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially through the widespread and unavoidable adoption of remote work.

Leaders must take a long hard look inward and ask themselves if they are part of the problem and what they can do to find solutions. How can you build trust that endures, strengthen bonds, and build team camaraderie, which in turn, boosts productivity?

It’s two-way

Relationships are built on a foundation of trust and it’s a two-way street. Research shows that when managers trust workers, they are much more likely to reciprocate that trust. In turn, they will perform to a greater extent and exceed expectations. However, managers must make the first move and signal their trust to start the relationship with their subordinates. Don’t assume your employees know that you trust them. They do not mind read so you have to tell them.

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Display empathy

Leaders should act with empathy, displaying a genuine understanding of the difficulties their employees have endured. You can’t pay lip service to this need since it’s an essential part of leadership in a crisis. Show your team that you care about them personally and not simply because they get their work done.

Empathy requires frequently asking people in private how they are doing, what they need, and listening sincerely and attentively to their responses. Ensure they understand how they fit in the greater scheme of things, and that they’re not just a name on a paycheck.

During uncertain times, building trust is important. Discover some tips to help your workforce build confidence in your leadership.

Be transparent

Transparency is tough for many organizations and leaders. Many of us were taught that being a leader meant knowing all the answers. Many of us have also worked in environments where making a mistake was tantamount to disaster. 

Transparency does not mean sharing information that violates confidentiality or is inappropriate for some other reason. There are times when you have to tell employees, “I cannot answer that question at this time,” but always be as open as you can.

Transparency does mean being open and forthright—your genuine, authentic self. Strive to be positive and uplifting, but also honest and realistic. Employees can quickly figure out when you’re not genuine. It may sound contradictory, but to achieve authenticity takes careful planning: what you will say, how you will say it, and how often. 

If issues are common knowledge, do not tap dance or deflect. Do not get defensive. People see through that quickly, and your credibility along with their trust in you, goes right out the window.

Communicate like never before

A lack of information stirs gossip, rumors, and distrust, so it’s important to step up your communication to your workforce. Frequent updates with honest and forthright progress reports are essential, and using multiple options that were never fully engaged before such as email blasts, Zoom meetings, and online town halls are also helpful.

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Encourage feedback and be responsive both on an individual basis and through ‘all-hands’ communications. Host live “ask me anything” sessions and also set up an online link so that employees can ask questions of senior leadership 24 hours a day. You may well find that employees who were too shy to interact publicly are more inclined to participate in a more private medium.

Be flexible

Give your team members flexibility, especially since working from home undoubtedly involves numerous domestic conflicts because spouses and kids have their own schedules. If you trust employees to juggle their workload with their family responsibilities, they will respond accordingly and contribute to the company’s overall success.

Don’t monitor

With employees operating from home and out-of-sight, managers inevitably wonder how much time is spent on work rather than watching TV or doing household chores. Some companies responded by installing various kinds of computer surveillance such as keystroke capture or even video links. That’s not such a good idea. One survey discovered that 49 percent of employees subject to stringent monitoring reported severe anxiety due to such lack of trust.

Reach out in new ways

Some companies came up with new ways to connect with their workforce during the pandemic to maintain a sense of community. Here are some examples you can use as inspiration.

  • Axonify, a leading frontline employee training firm, launched a virtual talk show, hosted by its chief learning architect. The show featured employees, sparking new ideas and much-needed laughter.
  • Ultimate Medical Academy, a nonprofit health care educational institution, snail-mailed motivational posters to its employees that featured its mascot, Journey the Puma, and became a common backdrop in home offices seen during its video calls. 
  • Salesforce created an online talent show with entries from more than 500 employees. The finale, which was hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and included a live performance from Jewel, was judged by four Salesforce executives “in hilariously ridiculous outfits.”
  • Digital fitness company Peerfit built camaraderie with a virtual “water cooler” channel on their internal messaging platform and external channels where employees could share photos of their pets and discuss what they were binge-watching.

In summary, trust is developed when you’re open and transparent, keep your team informed, and display authenticity and honesty. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”  

When leaders remove their masks, they are willing to risk losing face, and when they show their genuineness to their people, they create lasting trust and connections. As a result, their people return the favor in kind with passion, engagement, and loyalty. Physical proximity with your employees may not always be possible. Mental and emotional proximity always is.

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