If you believe in the title, read this article.
In the backdrop of corporate scandals regarding issues like greed, bankruptcy, dishonesty and ethical violations, employee trust in senior management is deteriorating. Plummeting trust signals impending disastrous corporate performance.
Addressing the issue
Trust is not necessarily a matter of what is legal or illegal. It is more a matter of how countless management decisions affect employees over a time.
HR’s role
HR’s efficiency is a key predictor of employee trust. Though the HR’s relationship is direct, it alone cannot build employee trust. Management ‘s backing is critical. HR focuses on two primary trust drivers: Communication and managing change.
HR at work
An efficient HR functioning is associated with high levels of trust and facilitates an organisational culture that infuses faith, loyalty, and confidence among employees.
Tips for HR:
Out in the open: Explain to employees the rationale for major decisions and the company’s performance.
Convey the advantage: Companies conveying the advantages, through issue of “total award statement” (that communicates an employee’s total value of compensation), enhances the degree of trust.
Employee inputs drive change: Employee attitude significantly influences the trust levels in an organisation. Eliciting employee input greatly improves an organisation’s work climate.
Sighting Business goals and roles: Employees of high trust organisations are provided a clear picture of organisation’s goals and their role towards achieving it.
Accountability: Organisations having high levels of trust not only reward high performers but also hold poor performers accountable.
An effective and efficient HR department ensures that employees have high levels of trust and ensure that the organisation maintains the credibility it possesses through communication, consistency, follow-through, respect and internal customer service.
Cheers
Archna
From India, Delhi
113In the backdrop of corporate scandals regarding issues like greed, bankruptcy, dishonesty and ethical violations, employee trust in senior management is deteriorating. Plummeting trust signals impending disastrous corporate performance.
Addressing the issue
Trust is not necessarily a matter of what is legal or illegal. It is more a matter of how countless management decisions affect employees over a time.
HR’s role
HR’s efficiency is a key predictor of employee trust. Though the HR’s relationship is direct, it alone cannot build employee trust. Management ‘s backing is critical. HR focuses on two primary trust drivers: Communication and managing change.
HR at work
An efficient HR functioning is associated with high levels of trust and facilitates an organisational culture that infuses faith, loyalty, and confidence among employees.
Tips for HR:
Out in the open: Explain to employees the rationale for major decisions and the company’s performance.
Convey the advantage: Companies conveying the advantages, through issue of “total award statement” (that communicates an employee’s total value of compensation), enhances the degree of trust.
Employee inputs drive change: Employee attitude significantly influences the trust levels in an organisation. Eliciting employee input greatly improves an organisation’s work climate.
Sighting Business goals and roles: Employees of high trust organisations are provided a clear picture of organisation’s goals and their role towards achieving it.
Accountability: Organisations having high levels of trust not only reward high performers but also hold poor performers accountable.
An effective and efficient HR department ensures that employees have high levels of trust and ensure that the organisation maintains the credibility it possesses through communication, consistency, follow-through, respect and internal customer service.
Cheers
Archna
From India, Delhi
Dear Archna,
Very insightful. This trust has detriorated today so much that it affects our families and socity in general. There is a remarkable erosion of values.
Here is a short story on trust
Trust
"It's just over this ridge," she said as I held back a smile. For almost an hour she had been greeting me this way whenever I finally caught up with her. Somehow she always convinced me to go on one of these hikes with her every year. Let's just say I don't exactly have a natural talent for this sort of thing. "Almost here," she said as she held out her hand and gently pulled me to the ledge beside her. It had been like this all of our lives. She loved pushing herself and pulling others out of difficult situations. I always tried to be right there whenever she needed someone, but more often than not it was the other way around.
She was one of those people that was easy to predict because every single decision she made seemed to make perfect sense. I have always been able to ask her for advice and I never hesitate to use it. "We're always there for each other, and that's what makes us friends," she says. All that I have to do in return is pretend to enjoy myself once a year whenever we go hiking.
"Is it really over this ridge?" I ask as she races to the top. "Trust me," she yells as I start to smile again.
Cheers
Prof.Lakshman
From Sri Lanka, Kolonnawa
Very insightful. This trust has detriorated today so much that it affects our families and socity in general. There is a remarkable erosion of values.
Here is a short story on trust
Trust
"It's just over this ridge," she said as I held back a smile. For almost an hour she had been greeting me this way whenever I finally caught up with her. Somehow she always convinced me to go on one of these hikes with her every year. Let's just say I don't exactly have a natural talent for this sort of thing. "Almost here," she said as she held out her hand and gently pulled me to the ledge beside her. It had been like this all of our lives. She loved pushing herself and pulling others out of difficult situations. I always tried to be right there whenever she needed someone, but more often than not it was the other way around.
She was one of those people that was easy to predict because every single decision she made seemed to make perfect sense. I have always been able to ask her for advice and I never hesitate to use it. "We're always there for each other, and that's what makes us friends," she says. All that I have to do in return is pretend to enjoy myself once a year whenever we go hiking.
"Is it really over this ridge?" I ask as she races to the top. "Trust me," she yells as I start to smile again.
Cheers
Prof.Lakshman
From Sri Lanka, Kolonnawa
Hi Prof Lakshman,
This is a very nice story on trust.
I believe a small kid communicates his/her trust without even speaking.
That is how, if we trust our people and people trust us, the conversation will be altogether different.
And don't you agree that it is your trust in me and vice versa, that makes us both so comfortable with each other's views, opinions etc. :D
I trust you that is the reason i started communicating with you, similarly this is my trust in Sid(CHR) that I'm a part of this forum. :D
What Say???
Cheers
Archna
From India, Delhi
This is a very nice story on trust.
I believe a small kid communicates his/her trust without even speaking.
That is how, if we trust our people and people trust us, the conversation will be altogether different.
And don't you agree that it is your trust in me and vice versa, that makes us both so comfortable with each other's views, opinions etc. :D
I trust you that is the reason i started communicating with you, similarly this is my trust in Sid(CHR) that I'm a part of this forum. :D
What Say???
Cheers
Archna
From India, Delhi
Dear Archna,
Well said, Yes certainly it is the trust that we place in each other that makes it comfortable to work in a rhythm. Trust is an esstential part in any relationship and if you apply this to HR, people should trust HR or else it will be an uphill task for the HR person or the employees.We must do things in our companies to win that trust.
We trust that the earth is solid enough to hold us and not cave in. We trust that our people near and dear to us will not take us for granted....and on and on....
Here is another intersting story that illustrates trust.
This time I rummaged in my handbag and knew it wasn’t there. I’d been holding up the queue at the cash desk for about a minute, no more than that, but it felt like an age. My purse was definitely not there. No amount of delving and searching was going to miraculously reveal it. And I had no money at all with which to pay for the meal that I was so desperate to eat. What was I going to do?
The cashier was being very nice about it really, she was kind and reasonable but I was flushed, my face was hot and I could sense the frustration of the people behind me. All the while the food was growing colder and looking less appetising. It was as though the heat from the food was being transferred to me as I began to feel the weight of all the staring eyes upon me. I was already feeling uncomfortable and my heavy layers of clothing were making me feel worse.
Thankfully, the cashier had still not lost her patience. She just called out to a woman in the kitchen.
“Dawn!”
I turned my head to watch Dawn come over. According to her name badge, she was the “Catering Manager”. Then Dawn and the cashier had a brief chat with each other. I was standing right there but I barely registered a word. I was so consumed by my own embarrassment that I had temporarily lost my hearing. Then Dawn and the cashier turned their attention to me and were talking as if I was either twice as old as my actual age and deaf, or half as old as my actual age and plain stupid. The bottom line was, I was in no position to be anything other than docile and accepting. They took me to one side so that the queue - which had been static for quite long enough – could edge along again.
Now we could conduct a full investigation into where my purse could be. That meant turning the contents of my handbag out onto an empty counter for all to see. It could have been in any number of possible places but there was only one place where it definitely could not be found. It could be in my car, on the mantelpiece at home, in another one of my handbags or worse still, in someone else’s pocket or bag or on their mantelpiece …
All at once I knew where it was. It came to me that it was in his place. It had to be. That was where I’d been the last time I’d used it, so that must be where I’d left it. My face must have fallen because -
“Look, I can see you’re upset. I’ll tell you what,” Dawn was saying. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow? Come back and pay me tomorrow.” She smiled and patted my arm. In any other situation I would have found it patronising. “I’ll trust you.”
Awoken from my horror and self-pity I stared up at Dawn’s bemused face. I didn’t think for one minute that I wasn’t deserving of trust – I’m not a dishonest person, as anyone who knows me will tell you. And in the circumstances I could hardly say no. But why should she trust me?
How did she know that she could trust me? Me with my wide-eyed innocence and “butter wouldn’t melt” demeanour, looking puzzled and upset because I couldn’t pay for my lunch in a self-service department store restaurant. She didn’t know anything about me. She didn’t know that the reason I couldn’t find my purse was because I had left it at my lover’s house, the married lover – married to my best friend – the best friend I’ve known from school, the lover that has been her husband for 4 years, the lover that I’ve been having an affair with for almost all that time.
Trust me? Well, I wasn’t a serial killer and I could be trusted with money but not with much else. In all kinds of different ways I was untrustworthy. But I wasn’t going to tell Dawn that. Yes, she could trust me, a complete stranger with a plate full of food she presently didn’t have the means to pay for. Compare that with my best friend. The affair with Marcus wasn’t “just one of those things” and it didn’t “just happen”. So why did I do it?
Ever since junior school, Joanne and I rarely had arguments or even disagreements. Our friendship was characterised by almost complete harmony. We liked the same things and shared the same basic values. Ironically, once upon a time we even shared that most fundamental principle between friends that you don’t steal your friend’s man. It was something we had spoken about many times before. Our fierce disapproval was directed a numerous other guilty parties but no, we would never stoop so low. We had that kind of outspoken honesty and openness in our relationship when talking about anything other than ourselves. She was my friend, so it followed that I had to accept her boyfriend and I definitely didn’t intend to get that close to him. He didn’t come from our group of friends and he was nothing like anyone I’d ever met. The mythical black man: university-educated, professional, good income, ambition, secure job, company car, apartment in a new development, self-assured, warm sense of humour – no previous marriages, and no children. If I’d met him first he’d have been mine. Of course, I envied her. She couldn’t believe her good luck when she married him and ultimately, he had proved to be too good to be true. Joanne and I shared almost everything else – to share him too had a kind of twisted logic.
Dawn didn’t need to know any of the real story. I’d be seeing him again tonight and I’d be back to pay her the next day.
Cheers have a great weekend
Prof.Lakshman
From Sri Lanka, Kolonnawa
Well said, Yes certainly it is the trust that we place in each other that makes it comfortable to work in a rhythm. Trust is an esstential part in any relationship and if you apply this to HR, people should trust HR or else it will be an uphill task for the HR person or the employees.We must do things in our companies to win that trust.
We trust that the earth is solid enough to hold us and not cave in. We trust that our people near and dear to us will not take us for granted....and on and on....
Here is another intersting story that illustrates trust.
This time I rummaged in my handbag and knew it wasn’t there. I’d been holding up the queue at the cash desk for about a minute, no more than that, but it felt like an age. My purse was definitely not there. No amount of delving and searching was going to miraculously reveal it. And I had no money at all with which to pay for the meal that I was so desperate to eat. What was I going to do?
The cashier was being very nice about it really, she was kind and reasonable but I was flushed, my face was hot and I could sense the frustration of the people behind me. All the while the food was growing colder and looking less appetising. It was as though the heat from the food was being transferred to me as I began to feel the weight of all the staring eyes upon me. I was already feeling uncomfortable and my heavy layers of clothing were making me feel worse.
Thankfully, the cashier had still not lost her patience. She just called out to a woman in the kitchen.
“Dawn!”
I turned my head to watch Dawn come over. According to her name badge, she was the “Catering Manager”. Then Dawn and the cashier had a brief chat with each other. I was standing right there but I barely registered a word. I was so consumed by my own embarrassment that I had temporarily lost my hearing. Then Dawn and the cashier turned their attention to me and were talking as if I was either twice as old as my actual age and deaf, or half as old as my actual age and plain stupid. The bottom line was, I was in no position to be anything other than docile and accepting. They took me to one side so that the queue - which had been static for quite long enough – could edge along again.
Now we could conduct a full investigation into where my purse could be. That meant turning the contents of my handbag out onto an empty counter for all to see. It could have been in any number of possible places but there was only one place where it definitely could not be found. It could be in my car, on the mantelpiece at home, in another one of my handbags or worse still, in someone else’s pocket or bag or on their mantelpiece …
All at once I knew where it was. It came to me that it was in his place. It had to be. That was where I’d been the last time I’d used it, so that must be where I’d left it. My face must have fallen because -
“Look, I can see you’re upset. I’ll tell you what,” Dawn was saying. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow? Come back and pay me tomorrow.” She smiled and patted my arm. In any other situation I would have found it patronising. “I’ll trust you.”
Awoken from my horror and self-pity I stared up at Dawn’s bemused face. I didn’t think for one minute that I wasn’t deserving of trust – I’m not a dishonest person, as anyone who knows me will tell you. And in the circumstances I could hardly say no. But why should she trust me?
How did she know that she could trust me? Me with my wide-eyed innocence and “butter wouldn’t melt” demeanour, looking puzzled and upset because I couldn’t pay for my lunch in a self-service department store restaurant. She didn’t know anything about me. She didn’t know that the reason I couldn’t find my purse was because I had left it at my lover’s house, the married lover – married to my best friend – the best friend I’ve known from school, the lover that has been her husband for 4 years, the lover that I’ve been having an affair with for almost all that time.
Trust me? Well, I wasn’t a serial killer and I could be trusted with money but not with much else. In all kinds of different ways I was untrustworthy. But I wasn’t going to tell Dawn that. Yes, she could trust me, a complete stranger with a plate full of food she presently didn’t have the means to pay for. Compare that with my best friend. The affair with Marcus wasn’t “just one of those things” and it didn’t “just happen”. So why did I do it?
Ever since junior school, Joanne and I rarely had arguments or even disagreements. Our friendship was characterised by almost complete harmony. We liked the same things and shared the same basic values. Ironically, once upon a time we even shared that most fundamental principle between friends that you don’t steal your friend’s man. It was something we had spoken about many times before. Our fierce disapproval was directed a numerous other guilty parties but no, we would never stoop so low. We had that kind of outspoken honesty and openness in our relationship when talking about anything other than ourselves. She was my friend, so it followed that I had to accept her boyfriend and I definitely didn’t intend to get that close to him. He didn’t come from our group of friends and he was nothing like anyone I’d ever met. The mythical black man: university-educated, professional, good income, ambition, secure job, company car, apartment in a new development, self-assured, warm sense of humour – no previous marriages, and no children. If I’d met him first he’d have been mine. Of course, I envied her. She couldn’t believe her good luck when she married him and ultimately, he had proved to be too good to be true. Joanne and I shared almost everything else – to share him too had a kind of twisted logic.
Dawn didn’t need to know any of the real story. I’d be seeing him again tonight and I’d be back to pay her the next day.
Cheers have a great weekend
Prof.Lakshman
From Sri Lanka, Kolonnawa
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