Trust is a key component of any relationship. If your employees don’t trust you, it will significantly harm your workplace culture and productivity. In fact, it may shock you to hear that 58 percent of employees trust a complete stranger more than their own boss.
One way to prevent employee mistrust is to harness the power of internal communications, which have been shown to drastically increase employee trust levels. However, not just any type of internal communication will do. We’ve included some of the best forms of communication to help build this trust below.
Surveys
In order for someone to trust you, they need to feel like you value them and their thoughts. The best way to convey this in the workplace is to send out regular surveys to employees that ask them their opinions on certain elements of the workplace. You’ll want to make these questions easy to answer, since no one is going to want to fill out a lengthy questionnaire each month.
One way to accomplish this is with eNPS surveys. These surveys are easy to send out, answer, and send back; providing you with an in-depth look into how your workers view the workplace. When employees receive these surveys on a regular basis, they’ll know that you care what they think, thus increasing trust levels.
Podcasts
How often does someone at the entry-level get to hear directly from the president or CEO of a company? If the business is any larger than 20 people, then chances are that it’s a very infrequent occurrence. It is hard to trust a company that is essentially led by a faceless and voiceless figure. That is why using podcasts as an internal communication tool is highly recommended.
Podcasts give executives at a company a chance to verbalize their thoughts about the industry, their company, and other topics. Then, all employees get the chance to hear directly from leadership. Podcasts also allow for employers to distribute important internal content in a more engaging way. While it might not be as effective as face-to-face communication, podcasts are a great way to inspire trust when in-person conversations are not possible.
Employee App
Now that Millennials and Gen Z employees make up about 38 percent of the workforce, it is important that employers are taking steps to directly address the trust issues that these younger workers may have with management.
For example, since Millennials and Gen Z workers are never far from their phones, the best way to instill trust in them is to take a mobile-first approach. This should ideally include an employee app for smartphones that can be used to post important company information and create two-way communication between employees and upper management. If done properly, this should result in a significant spike in employee trust.
These forms of internal communication are by far the most impactful tools when trying to increase trust with employees. If you need help implementing these strategies or optimizing your internal communication strategy, then make sure to contact us at backstitch today.
