Trust in Turmoil: Navigating the Trust Gap in Today's Workplace

The research is clear: we’re facing an increasing trust gap between leadership and employees in our workplaces. According to 普华永道 's recent annual trust survey, there is an 18-point gap between executives who believe their employees trust them (86%) and the employees who actually do (67%). Additionally, there's a 26-point gap between leaders who say they trust their employees (also 86%) and employees (60%) who say they feel trusted by leadership.

Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and Employee Trust

You may be familiar with the marketing and sales metric known as the Net Promoter Score (NPS). In a nutshell, it gauges customer loyalty: how likely is it that a customer will continue to buy products and services from a specific company or store, and recommend it to family and friends. Similarly, there’s a less well-known but equally important metric called the Employee Net Promoter Score (e-NPS) which measures the likelihood that your employees will recommend your company as a place to work to others including family, friends and colleagues in other companies. BambooHR 's recent survey of 59,000 employees revealed that e-NPS is now at a four-year low across almost every industry. This is primarily due to a lack of trust in their organizations.

The Impact of Remote Work and Monitoring

The transition to remote work and the subsequent monitoring of online activity has further affected trust levels. Employees often feel less trusted when their online and digital activities are closely monitored, leading to a decrease in performance. BambooHR found that 31% of remote and hybrid employees believe leadership trusts in-office employees more than those who work remotely. Additionally, 22% of employees who left their companies in the last year cited trust issues as their primary reason.

Addressing the Trust Gap - Communication and Flexibility

To bridge the trust gap, HR professionals and leaders need to maintain open and honest communication. This was particularly evident during the pandemic when remote work became essential, and leaders had to manage expectations and demands for flexibility.

Generational Differences

By 2030, millennials and Gen Z will constitute 68% of the workforce. These generations highly value flexibility and inclusion in decision-making processes. Hence, it's crucial for leaders to understand their expectations and incorporate them into organizational policies.

Techniques for Building Trust - Acknowledging What's Real

Being transparent about the current state of trust within the organization is vital. Pretending everything is fine or sugar-coating issues only decreases trust. Openly sharing trust levels and related data helps build reliability and credibility among employees.

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The R.O.C.C. Model of Trust

To understand and build trust, we use the R.O.C.C. model:

1. Reliability: Consistency in keeping commitments and showing up on time.
2. Openness and Honesty: Being transparent about challenges and mistakes.
3. Competence: Demonstrating the skills and knowledge necessary to lead effectively.
4. Concern for Best Interests: Showing genuine care for employees' well-being and interests.

Respect and Trust go Hand in Hand

Respect and trust are intrinsically linked. Developing an Actively Respectful Culture significantly impacts trust levels within an organization, leading to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

Tools and Assessments - The Seven-Step Personal Self-Assessment

This do-it-yourself, self-assessment involves gathering feedback from key stakeholders (employees, peers, and superiors) about your leadership qualities based on the R.O.C.C. model. Analyzing this feedback helps in creating an action plan to improve areas where trust might be lacking.

The Actively Respectful Culture Assessment

We offer a unique, one-of-a-kind assessment that measures respect in your organization across informational, procedural, and interpersonal axis, and then provide a comprehensive report that identifies gaps and recommendations for closing them. This comprehensive evaluation helps organizations develop and implement strategies for building a more respectful and trustworthy culture.

Moving Forward- Inclusive Decision Making

Involving employees in decision-making processes boosts their trust and willingness to support organizational changes, even if their suggestions are not implemented.

Creating Ownership of Trust

Organizations should identify and train “trust champions” who can consistently communicate the importance of being R.O.C.C.s for each other: Reliable, Open and honest, Competent and Concerned for their best interests.

Whether you choose to implement these strategies on your own or seek external coaching and support, the key is to prioritize building a culture of respect and trust. If you are interested in exploring these concepts further, please book a 15-minute coaching call with us anytime .

Let's work together to foster an environment of trust and respect in our workplaces.

Each month , we tackle a different topic to bring you the latest data, insights, and techniques. This program is aimed at C-suite leaders, HR professionals, leadership development executives, executive coaches, and those specializing in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Our goal is to provide you with valuable data, practical concepts, recommendations, and actionable techniques.

by The Center for Respectful Leadership and The Center For Respectful Leadership HR Emergency Update Series