Filed under: Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Work Life Balance
Today Anna Erickson’s article “Are Employers Facing a Deficit of Trust?” was featured in the Good Company Blog. If you have a few minutes you should check it out http://www.phwa.org/resources/goodcompany/blog/2010/06/are-employers-facing-a-deficit.php
While waiting in the airport recently, I noticed that the guy sitting next to me had taped paper over the webcam at the top of his laptop. I chuckled to myself at first at his apparent paranoia. Then I thought about that kid in Philadelphia who sued his school for taking photos of him on his laptop without his knowledge. So who could blame this young professional at the airport for being cautious? It is more than a little creepy thinking that your boss might be watching you in your hotel room on a business trip. Which got me thinking about trust.
Trust is lacking in many workplaces today. Employers don’t trust employees. Employees don’t trust employers. We see it in the survey business all the time. Clients hire my firm to conduct their employee surveys in part to ensure anonymity of respondents and confidentiality of results. And yet no matter how it’s communicated some employees will never believe their survey responses are anonymous. And so, with the fear of big brother looking over their shoulders, many employees miss the opportunity to provide honest feedback that might improve their workplace….(more)
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Anna Erickson reminds us that trust is the foundation of all relationships – whether personal or organizational. Once trust is broken, everything becomes compromised and is viewed differently from that moment on; the commitment, whether to an individual or an organization is never again the same and that is reflected in the amount of energy one puts forth in the relationship from that day on. And yes, actions do speak louder than words – a picture paints a thousand words, as does behavior over time, revealing what the person/organization truly believes and values versus what he or she says is believed and valued. This is why organizations, managers, and employees need to be careful with their mission and values statements, branding efforts, and commitments – if words and actions don’t mesh, the individual or organization is considered suspect and no longer fully trusted, ever again. The effort one puts into such a relationship is always less than 100% and often leads to either physically or mentally checking out – otherwise known as retiring on the job. What organization (or individual) can be successful long term under such circumstances.
Comment by Barbara Lubinski July 8, 2010 @ 12:52 pm