Secrets to Building Employee Trust

By Joy E. Karp

As a business owner, manager, or supervisor, you may think that the only people you need to serve are your customers. Think again! Your employees are your customers too. Earning employee trust is just as important as earning the trust of your customers or clients.

How do you garner and build credibility and trust among your employees? It’s not a new question, but its relevance is more important today than ever.

How to build employee trust

1. Keep promises

“I’ll get back to you on that.” “I’ll look into it.” Both of these are famous phrases used by owners and managers when an employee asks a question—and neither builds credibility or trust.

Here’s what you should do instead. First, set a time frame for getting back to the employee. For example, “I’ll get back to you on that by this Friday” shows a commitment to the employee. Then, immediately make a note to yourself to do just that. If it turns out you don’t have an answer for the employee by Friday, tell them so; apologize and make a new date to get back to them—and then make sure that you do!

If you ignore the deadline, you will get a reputation among employees as being unreliable and someone they can’t count on. Once you lose the respect of your employees, your authority becomes benign.

2. Show you care!

Your employees need to know that you care about them. If they have a problem—usually noticeable by facial expressions—lend them an ear; show interest in them as human beings.

How can you expect employees to care about customers if they think you don’t care about them? Give them their breaks, even if it means you miss yours. Good leaders make sacrifices for their people. This is especially important for employees who have performed well and whose performance wanes. Find out why. Oftentimes there is something you can do about it. We all go through various stages, including discontent, and sometimes all we need is encouragement and a caring ear.

Also, take the fall for things that go wrong rather than blaming it on one of your employees. Talk to the employee privately. Of course if the employee has done something very wrong, like stealing, then you must report it and take action according to your policies. But if the problem is a procedural mistake or failing to satisfy a customer, don’t blow up, as tempting as it may be. Take the employee aside and explain how they should have handled the situation; then document the incident for future reference.

3. Be a role model

Tell your people the kind of excellence you expect from them and then lead by example. When they sway off course, instruct rather than criticize. Work hard and support them every day. To achieve the highest standards, your employees must know exactly what you expect from them and see you performing at that level.

Walking your talk is critical to gaining the respect of your people, and gaining that respect makes your job easier and far more enjoyable. Don’t resist getting down and dirty with your fellow workers.

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4. Be target oriented

Many managers move around a lot and go nowhere. A manager’s job is to be where they are needed most, not hiding in paperwork, stocking shelves, or chatting about the night before.

If you want your business to grow, then you must be present in areas where customer service is taking place to make good things happen with and for customers. I’ve said it before and will say it again: Complacency is your enemy. Energy is your friend—use it, both mentally and physically.

5. Create opportunities

Team leaders are problem solvers, not problem initiators. Identifying problems is easy; thinking of solutions takes intelligence, teamwork, patience, and commitment. Managers should go to their owners with options for solutions, and owners should consider all options before making decisions.

Sometimes all people need is an ear. Whenever I ask attendees of of my leadership classes to rank characteristics of a good leader, the number one quality chosen by most employees is, “Listens and understands others.” Imagine that! The power of good communication skills has and likely will always be of prime importance to employees when it comes to their bosses. Good listening, however, is not an easy thing to do. It takes much more than patience and eye contact; it takes a response, one that shows that you really are listening.

For example, if a good employee says, “Kyle is always on my case,” an effective response from you, as a manager, would be, “What kinds of problems are you having with Kyle?” What you don’t want to say is something like, “Don’t let it bother you” or “He’s like that with everyone." These responses will not fix anything and will end up leaving the employee feeling discouraged.

If you don’t understand what the problem is, then ask the employee to clarify by beginning with, “So, what I think you’re saying is...” This allows the employee to explain the problem more fully, and it's also the first step to handling a small problem that could become a big one. In addition, it lets employees know that you care enough to listen to them. And with this comes respect for you which will then enable you to do a better job—a win-win for all! Always finish with a clear understanding of what you are going to do for the employee.

Employee trust and customer service go together

You may wonder why someone who has been called a “customer service expert” is blogging about building trust with employees. It is because customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction go together; they have to work hand in hand. The customer wants to feel good. The employee wants to feel good. You want to feel good. So, you can be the conductor who sets that example and makes good things happen...or not, if you choose to be ordinary.

RELATED: How Any Business Can Create a Culture of Belonging in the Workplace