It is important that trust amongst employees exists within an organisation. An element of trust enables projects and tasks to be completed more smoothly and it’s important that you work toward building a relationship based on trust with every new employee from the first day.

Below are 9 tips and ways in which you can work towards establishing a relationship based on trust with your employees.

9 tips to help you build trust

1. Hire specific people

Hire people who have the capacity to build positive, trusting and interpersonal relationships with co-workers and employees within the workplace.

2. Develop skills

Continue to build and develop the skills of those in the workplace who will be promoted or take on leadership positions in the future. As a leader, help them build on their interpersonal relationship skills and effective interpersonal skills.

3. Keep staff informed

Make sure that all employees are kept informed at all times with truthful and honest information.

4. Act with integrity

As a leader, it is important that you act with integrity and keep your commitments. If you can’t do this you must explain the situation in a timely manner.

5. Be timely with issues

If an employee is constantly playing up in the workplace, it is important that you confront them about it in an appropriate way. By being seen to confront the issue other employees will trust you more.

6. Protect employee interests

Make sure that no employee that is absent is talked about, called names or blamed while working on a project. Employees will then know that they can trust you to protect their interests.

7. Display competence in leading

Don’t be afraid of being confident because you should know what you’re talking about, but also don’t be afraid to admit you are unsure when you don’t. By openly admitting you don’t know something when asked about it, you continue the honesty in your working relationship with your reports. If you admit you don’t know the answer to an asked question, demonstrate your leadership skills and tell them that you will find out and will get back to them.

8. Be attentive

Actively listen and be attentive when people are talking to you. Show them that you care through empathy and sensitivity. This will let employees know that you value them and that in turn will make them trust you.

9. Set high expectations

Set high expectations for your staff and act like you believe they can achieve it.

These tips will help you build trust within your team, and foster it within your organisation.