Employees are the most valuable assets for an organization, and winning their trust is the key to HR success. Mutual trust makes employees more loyal and gives them a reason to stay for the long haul. At the same time, HR managers have to worry less about turnover and productivity because they believe that the entire workforce is committed to the company. But building trust is easier said than done because it requires more than creating an excellent employee experience. Let us share some proven HR tactics to foster mutual trust and empower your company with a loyal team.
Photo by Rebrand Cities.
Learn to listen
HR managers must have strong communication skills, but they should be even better at listening. Ensure employees have the voice to share feedback and opinions and genuinely listen to their concerns. Knowing that managers value their feedback fosters trust in workers. Engaging in active listening gives you a good start. Make a conscious effort to dig deep by asking questions and understanding issues so that you can devise relevant solutions.
Act on feedback
While listening to your team members is vital, you must go beyond it and act on feedback to consolidate mutual trust. Although you cannot work on individual issues, you can analyze feedback and identify the weak areas within the organization. For example, you may need to improve your scheduling process if several people have problems with it. Also, communicate the action and its outcomes to employees to bring transparency to the feedback and improvement process.
Related read: The keys to creative collaboration: an essential guide.
Empower people by trusting them
There are no shortcuts to building mutual trust because you have to give and take it. Empowering people with autonomy is the key, so let them do things their way. Provide them with things they need, such as a verification letter for a loan application. Questioning their intentions is the last thing you should do, as not everyone asks for the document because they intend to switch jobs. You can check examples of employment verification letter to create a format. Also, ditch the micromanagement mindset because it may affect the performance and loyalty of your employee.
Show frequent appreciation
Appreciating your team members is another way to foster trust. You may appreciate people by offering verbal praise, sending thank you emails, and distributing incentives every time a worker excels at work. Besides consolidating trust, appreciation makes people give their best and be more productive. It also sets a benchmark for the others in the team, and they also try to match the performance levels.
Create a positive workplace culture
Nothing matters more than a positive work culture when it comes to fostering mutual trust within an organization. Creating a safe work environment where people feel comfortable and confident is a key responsibility for HR managers. You must encourage diversity and inclusion, focus on well-being, and provide ample growth and learning opportunities for employees to drive a robust culture. Be consistent, and lead by setting examples for the team.
Winning the trust game is crucial to loyalty, retention, and growth. Not surprisingly, HR managers are willing to invest effort into it. Following these simple measures is enough to build trust and strengthen it over time.
