Trust

We cannot afford to ignore the emotional fallout from our own inappropriate behaviour and/or poor management practices and policies, nor those of our organisation. People get hurt. When it becomes chronic, it is an enormous distraction and makes people sick. They become de-motivated. Job satisfaction and productivity suffer. There are significant economic costs to the organization.

The healing process needs the understanding of honesty in dealing with each other, knowing the difference between right and wrong, having courage to do what is right, and caring about relationships.

Employees don’t trust information unless they know it has meaning for them. It is not enough to communicate the information with talks and memos; employees need to be able to question directives, and managers need to be open about their reasoning, why they made their decisions. Creating trust requires interactive communication, dialogue based on values of respect and continual learning. Employees need also to trust that management will not punish mistakes or criticism but will use them as a basis for learning.