James Metcalfe
One of the most pondered and discussed debates in the entire world of business, the extent of which team members really believe their bosses have their best interests at heart. This is something that is hard to spot and even harder to measure. From the direction of the company to the wellbeing of its workers, bosses are put under the microscope and judged subsequently on everything that falls under their guidance.
With insights from leading experts in the world of business (both for and against the idea of trust in bosses) and with combined experience in businesses of all shapes and sizes, this story attempts to shed more light into whether or not employees and team members really do believe their boss has their back.
#1 Essential Trust
I believe that you cannot associate yourself or work for somebody you do not trust, which is why I can say confidently that I completely trust my boss and my company.
Contributor: Arianna Halpert from rateyourseats.com
#2 Relationships And Responsibilities
As an employee, I do trust my boss the way that he trust me in handling certain task in our company. You have to develop a certain relationship in order to gain trust with each other. Your boss won't designate certain task if he/she does not trust in your capabilities to handle certain kinds of situations. When they give you a certain job to do, don't hesitate to showcase your skills as it helps develop the trust that you will gain with each other.
Contributor: Exequiel Pinlac from royalessence.co
#3 Making The Difference
CEOs will always say “my people make the difference” and “my people are my most important asset”. But the “people” at below management level do not feel that they are important at all to top management. They scoff at those kinds of statements.
Contributor: Debra Benton, author of 'The Leadership Mind Switch: Rethinking How We Lead in the New World of Work'
#4 Variables And Variety
There's no simple answer as to whether or not bosses in general are trusted. There are a bunch of variables both inside the company culture as well as with an individual manager's personality and performance that can affect trust.
That Senior Management treats employees with respect and dignity - 43% rate them Excellent/Very Good That their Immediate Supervisor treats employees with respect and dignity - 52% rate them Excellent/Very Good
Across the board on these types of issues, direct bosses come out ahead of senior management on issues of trust. There is variability across different industries, of course, but in general the pattern holds.
#5 The Luck Element
Trusting bosses and bosses trusting employees has always been questionable. I guess I have been lucky to have always had great bosses, but I still remained a little cautious.
Contributor: Carol Gee from VenuChronicles.net
#6 Team Members Over Bosses
Waggl conducted a pulse survey with hundreds of US-based business and HR representatives on the topic of “Trust in the Workplace.” More than 1/3 of the participants said that they do not trust that their immediate supervisor makes decisions with their best interest in mind. By way of contrast, 76% percent of the participants responded that they trust their co-workers to follow through on their responsibilities and to keep the team’s best interests in mind.
Contributor: Rebecca West from heliumcommunications.net
#7 A Valuable Quality, From Top Down
You need to give your staff the trust to manage their productivity. Ultimately, this will pay off through motivation and commitment. Trust is one of the most valued qualities you can give your staff. If you find yourself concerned about a particular individual or team, set up a system which will identify any unproductive tendencies.
One of the strongest traits of a good CEO is the ability to listen. We regularly invite employees to share their thoughts in our satisfaction surveys which provides us with a wealth of information.
Contributor: James Lloyd-Townshend, CEO at FRG Technology Consulting
#8 Misplaced Beliefs
Despite 95 per cent of senior managers in UK businesses believing that they are trusted by their employees, it was discovered in a recent study with 2,000 employees that they are the least trusted in the workplace and only 16 percent of employees actually trust them.
‘Better communication’ and ‘regular catch ups’ were factors considered key for management to improve trust.
Contributor: Hollie O’Brien from twentysixdigital.com
#9 Influence Of Business Size
Trusting your boss really comes down to how closely you work with them. In startup companies, it’s not uncommon for a certain level of collaboration to occur when determining the direction of the company, and when that happens, it’s much easier for an employee to connect and trust their boss because their goals are aligned. As companies get bigger, this trust can start to break down.
Project managers often get the final say in what happens, and if employees regularly disagree with those decisions, employees may start to question whether that manager has their best interest in mind. Having worked in a variety different companies myself, I can say that a “because I said so” mentality from a boss or project manager without making their objectives clear is a quick way to lose the trust of employees.
Contributor: Kyle Strong from tradogram.com
#10 The Progression Of Trust And Goals
We work at a small startup-minded company, so trust is essential in our business because there are just a few of us all working towards one big goal. I believe my boss has my best interests at heart as well as our team's best interests, but that trust is something we've built over time.
One thing we do to foster trust and transparency in our business is to hold weekly 1:1 meetings where the supervisee sets the agenda and that's become a great open forum for making sure we're aligned on both personal professional goals and how those ladder up to our larger business goals.
Contributor: Kristen Lueck, Director Editorial Communications & Digital Marketing at Remedy Review
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Agreed!