Return To (Trust at) Work

This week, we continue our deep dive into trust. In this blog, we review trust with others. If you missed last week’s blog, we explored self-trust…you can check it out here.

At this point in time, there are many challenges and opportunities with the post-pandemic topic of “Return To Work” (RTW). As employers explore work location options—fully remote, hybrid, fully on–site—the subject of trust surfaces. Managers are considering how much trust to extend to employees, with the aim of not stifling engagement; and employees are making judgments about how well they trust their manager and are being trusted by their organization.

Given the monumental mindset shifts regarding where and how to work, initiated by the pandemic, I’m suggesting that a reframe for RTW could be “Return To Trust at Work” or “RT2@W” (for those who have fun with acronyms).

As Marianne Williamson said, “Trust is very hard if you don’t know what you’re trusting.” So, let’s examine four types of trust for RTW decisions in the form of questions to consider:

• For Employees: What do I know about my manager’s character, values, and motives that helps me trust that both my and the organization’s best interests are being considered regarding where work is performed?
• For Managers/Employers: What do I know about each employee’s character, values, and motives that helps me trust them to act responsibly, no matter where work is performed?

• For Employees: What is my confidence level in the skills, knowledge, and experiences of my organization’s management and Human Resources department to assure me they will make sound decisions for where work is performed?
• For Managers/Employers: What is my confidence level regarding each employee’s skills, knowledge, and experiences to ensure they are appropriate for the tasks to be performed (no matter where the tasks are done)?

• For Employees: How confident am I that my work processes are clear and executed in such a way that I can successfully perform the way my organization expects?
• For Managers/Employers: How confident am I that our work processes have been designed in such a way that they will produce a valid and desirable outcome?

• For Employees: Do I have confidence in the leadership system of my organization—including our culture, values, operating standards, etc.—to know that work location options offered are for the good of the whole?
• For Managers/Employers: Do we have confidence in the leadership system of our organization—including our culture, values, operating standards, etc.—to know our work location offerings are aligned to support success?

Ensuring trust at work is critical – it helps promote emotional intelligence, leadership effectiveness, and healthy cultures. Determine what type of trust is required in any given situation so that trust is aptly matched to each circumstance.

This Week: Consider a current situation where trust with other people is in question (be it work-related or otherwise). What type of trust seems most appropriate? What type of trust, if any, might not be pertinent in that situation?