5 ways to build trust between employees and managers

Today, 63% of employees do not trust their superiors. However, trust is the basis of all healthy human relationships, so it is the same for professional relationships. This unpleasant situation brings its share of problems: a drop in overall productivity, absenteeism, employee turnover and internal conflicts. It is recognized, though, that companies that foster a bond of trust offer better productivity and a more positive environment for everyone. Here are our 5 tips for building trust within your team!

1. Facilitate internal communication

"What? But I didn't know!" is a phrase we have all said after a poorly communicated change within a company. Indeed, it is not always easy to warn each individual when something new occurs. But if this is a recurring problem, employees may think you don't care about them and may feel left out.

But today, solutions are available to facilitate mass communication. In our ultra-connected society, the best way to keep the whole team up to date is to send them a notification on their smartphone via text message or email.

However, don't neglect oral communication, the two go hand in hand. Hold meetings on a regular basis and be available when an employee needs to talk with you. No one will miss important information!

2. Empower employees

We know that it is necessary, as a manager, to keep an eye on certain employee actions, such as punching in arrival and departure times and breaks, for example. Yet, following them too closely can make them think they are micromanaged, and therefore that you don't trust them.

To overcome this impression, make "self-service" tools available via a digital platform, it will be possible for them to give their availability or accept shifts simply by clicking a button. Supporting this autonomy allows everyone to feel valued within the company.

3. Encourage skills development

Notice the talents of your colleagues and encourage them to develop their skills. By highlighting an employee's versatility, you will promote his or her professional development since he or she will be able to work in several positions and will therefore acquire more responsibilities.

Our advice is to find an automated system that can track the employee's skills and create schedules to easily assign them to all the positions for which they are qualified.

Don't forget to also encourage those who are motivated and successful in their projects, they will be even more efficient in the future: 69% of employees admit that they would work even harder if their efforts were appreciated.

4. Be transparent

Transparency is especially important when it comes to communication issues that directly affect employees. Here's a classic case: someone doesn't show up for their shift, you call them to find out more, but they tell you they've taken a leave of absence and you can't find that information anywhere. This can lead to conflict and therefore a lack of trust from the employee to the manager and vice versa.

This imbroglio could have been avoided if availability and leave requests were on the same platform, you would have automatically seen whether the employee was available when creating the schedule. By ensuring such transparency, a company greatly promotes employee retention.

5. Support your employees

Preserving the physical and mental safety of your co-workers is one of the primary goals of managers. Employees cannot trust their supervisor if they feel neglected. There is only one solution: listen. Give each team member the opportunity to express how he or she feels about a conflict situation. Knowing that the employer is attentive and available is a guarantee of a healthy work environment.

Especially at this time, it is important to pay attention to everyone's mental health: 75% of employees have felt socially isolated since the beginning of the pandemic.

Finally, creating a climate of trust will benefit all stakeholders in the long run, you will see more productivity, a better work atmosphere, more engagement and less absenteeism. Take advantage of the technological tools at your disposal, which will allow you to include employees in operational processes while ensuring optimal workforce management with automated tracking of skills and availability. In addition, you will optimize communication between you and the members of your team.

At the turn of 2021, management technologies are your allies in applying the best managerial practices. But the simplest step is obviously to listen to your employees, understand them and establish a healthy dialogue between the two parties!