Trust starts with confidence in and reliance on good qualities, especially fairness, truth, honor, or ability. Trust in the workplace is essential. Untruthfulness can cause employees to lose moral, productivity and lead to feelings of low esteem. To be part of a team in an organization one must have respect for his/her team mates and subordinates in order to gain the mutual respect that which is expected.
In the workplace, there are trust issues for the entire senior management team. One reason for distrust is that the management team use an autocratic method of managing, giving the other team members no room to be creative.
It is as if the management team has personal issues with internal security within oneself and their work position in the organization.
There are members of the management team who are very organized and proclaim to be team players, but it disheartens one to walk up on conversations about employees that should not be taking place in the hall. Those conversations should be behind closed doors with other members of the management team.
According to Dave Bowman, a Human Resources Expert, “Many experts agree that trust is perhaps the most important element of a harmonious, synergistic and efficient work environment. Organizations that have trust among employees are usually successful; those that don't frequently are not.”
Bowman gives five ways to create and build trust in their teams: * Establish and maintain integrity. It is the foundation of trust in any organization. Integrity must begin at the top and then move down. This means, among other things, keeping promises and always telling the truth, no matter how difficult it might be. If its people have integrity, an organization can be believed. * Communicate vision and values. Communication is important, since it provides the artery for information and truth. By communicating the organization's vision, management defines where it's going. By communicating its values, the methods for getting there are established. * Consider all employees as equal partners. Trust is established when even the newest rookie, a part-timer, or the lowest paid employee feels important and part of the team. This begins with management not being aloof, as well as getting out and meeting the troops. This should be followed by leaders seeking opinions and ideas (and giving credit for them), knowing the names of employees and their families and treating one and all with genuine respect. * Focus on shared, rather than personal goals. When employees feel everyone is pulling together; to accomplish a shared vision, rather than a series of personal agendas, trust results. This is the essence of teamwork. When a team really works, the players trust one another. * Do what's right, regardless of personal risk. We all know intuitively what's "right" in nearly every situation. Following this instinctive sense, and ignoring any personal consequences will nearly always create respect from those around us. From this respect trust will come. (Bowman)
Working with Senior Management, employees are frequently not motivated to go above and beyond what is expected of them due to trust issues which in turn affects one’s moral (motivation) towards performing to his/her full capacity level.
According to Stephen Covey, the difference between poorly motivated and highly motivated employees is about 500% in productivity. Everyone’s creativity, innovation and productivity come from their brain. Their brain is also the source of motivation and commitment.
It’s increasingly important in today’s economy to ensure productivity and work force effectiveness. “Low morale - though hard to define or measure - needs to be given serious consideration. Making the challenge greater is that low morale can creep in slowly and silently. Negativity slowly creeps in and affects everything. Leadership and investors only see the damage after it is done.”(G. 2009)
“Another angle is absenteeism and sick leave. A happy and healthy work force not only accomplishes more, they miss fewer days of work. Sick days cost both money & production. A work force that is tired and disenfranchised only has to slow down a little to make a big impact on the bottom line.” (G. 2009)
“Further, in terms of cost, solving the problem is infinitely more expensive than preventing the problem. Organizations need to take a good hard look at the disparities been the general work force, middle management, senior management/governance. No organization wants to admit it, but often those at the top get the best cream, and those at the very bottom get the empty pail. Implementing a work place "caste system" is the surest way to eventual collapse.” (G. 2009)
Due to the employees distrust and low morale within the organization can direct employees to having self-esteem issues.
When compared to other nations, Americans work an unprecedented number of hours each week. The work demand is so high that rarely anyone has time for acknowledgement or praise for a job well done. Instead, we look at the work that has yet to be completed and feel inadequate and poor. This takes a direct toll on our self-esteem at work. “The added pressures have contributed to a genuine rise in aggression and rudeness in the workplace. Rudeness anywhere makes people feel devalued. In part rudeness is the behavioral fallout of the widespread loss of loyalty of employers to employees and vice versa that has accompanied rapidly changing market conditions. Also, many younger workers, not trained in social and communication skills, challenge authority inappropriately and assume an entitlement unfulfillable against the demands for increased productivity.”(McGrath 2001)
“Job security is at an all-time low, compounding the fragility of self-esteem. The result is the workplace is no longer an arena in which people can count on fortifying their sense of self. Instead it has become a major source of stress and depression. Maintaining self-esteem is a lifelong psychological process. Think of self-esteem as a mental muscle that must be developed and maintained through regular psychological workouts—or you will be vulnerable to depression and anxiety. It must be renegotiated at each stage of life and in each domain of experience. When we build up the self-esteem muscle deep inside us, we learn to like and respect who we are, no matter what is happening around us.”(McGrath 2001)
Trust starts with self-assurance in and dependence on good qualities, particularly fairness, truth, honor, and ability. Trust in the workplace is critical. Without a sense of trust in the workplace, the full potential of the worker and even the business will never be achieved. Everyone within an organization must do their own part to ensure trust is earned and maintained at all levels.
Works Cited
Bowman, D. (n.d.). The five best ways to build - and lose - trust in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.ttgconsultants.com/articles/trustworkforce.html
Unknown. (2008, February 20). Self esteem in the workplace. Retrieved from http://first-success.blogspot.com/2008/02/self-esteem-in-workplace.html
Simonton, B. (n.d.). Managing employee morale, motivation. Retrieved from http://www.bensimonton.com/Why%20Employees%20Are%20Not%20Highly%20Motivated%20and%20Committed.htm
McGrath, E. (2001, October 01). Self-esteem at work. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200310/self-esteem-work
G., Robert. (2009, December 08). Low employee morale - the silent killer. Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/answers/hiring-human-resources/compensation-benefits/HRH_CMP/599709-1762601
