Teamwork makes the dream work: How to foster trust among your employees

Encourage personal connection

It can be hard to trust someone that you don’t know much about. Encourage your team to get to know each other outside of work, and they will feel more comfortable collaborating with one another. This doesn’t mean you need to spend time together outside of working hours (especially as many teams now work remotely, which can make this difficult or impossible). Instead, it can be as simple as encouraging and joining in with friendly discussions during team meetings, and making an effort to ask about and remember what is going on in your colleagues’ lives.

Actively listen

Actively listening to your employees’ ideas and perspectives is the foundation for a good working relationship with them. Be receptive to new ways of doing things, and ensure your team feels comfortable to share both positive and negative comments with you without fear of judgment or reprimand. Set aside dedicated time for them to do this, including at regular one-to-one and group meetings.

Act on suggestions

Listening to employees’ ideas and perspectives alone is not enough – you also need to act on them. When a colleague puts forward a helpful suggestion or comment, be sure to follow-up with them on how it is being actioned. If, on the other hand, they make a suggestion that you do not agree with, don’t be dismissive. Instead, constructively explain why you feel a different approach should be taken, and be open to hearing further ideas or clarifications.

Provide regular feedback

Do not wait until the formal appraisal process to provide your team with feedback. Instead, deliver it promptly, at an appropriate time and in private, if necessary. This will mean your employees can take immediate action to adjust their approach. Waiting too long could make your comments less impactful. This is especially true if they are negative, as staff may feel unfairly ambushed, and distracted from the tasks they are currently working on.

Be transparent

Sometimes, it can feel uncomfortable to discuss sensitive topics with your team members – the cancellation of a much-anticipated bonus, for example, or a major change to working practices. However, delaying or avoiding doing this will only damage you relationship, as well as their sense of belonging within your organisation. Instead, be upfront about business outlook, whether it’s good or bad, and keep your employees informed of any upcoming changes that could impact them.

Lead by example

No one likes a hypocrite. If you do not truly believe in your own instructions and advice, how can you expect your team to? To encourage a specific behaviour among your employees, hold yourself to the same standard and adhere to it in all of your work.

Show appreciation

An employee whose efforts are never acknowledged is unlikely to be motivated to continue their hard work. Instead, show that you appreciate them by highlighting and praising their specific achievements with other staff members, and congratulating them on work well-done. Furthermore, be sure to provide transparent financial and career incentives as a reward.

The need to deliver feedback can make building a positive relationship with employees difficult. Learn how to deliver negative feedback sensitively to work more constructively with your team.

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How to sensitively deliver negative feedback to employees

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