Building trust in the workplace. The Covid lockdown precipitated a strange phenomenon for businesses, emblematic of what happens when organisations are under external threat.
This phenomenon has two distinct phases: cooperation, then discord.
Advice for businesses handling this phenomenon may seem counter intuitive. However, there are some simple answers.
But first, how does this phenomenon develop?
As Covid first took hold, people gathered and supported one another. The usual response to an external threat was taking place, “We’re being attacked. We're in this together and we can support one another through this difficulty” (Kiwis will recall our Prime Minister referring to the “team of 5 million”).
In businesses, there’s more sharing of information than usual to ensure everyone is ‘being kept in the loop’. People go out of their way to find out what others are doing and how they can help.
People are loyal to one another and particularly to those who might be absent. Business people get together socially - for example, business coffee meetings (although with lockdown, this opportunity soon disappeared).
That type of behaviour - pulling together against the external threat - may continue for some time. However, at some point a change takes place. That change occurs once there are layoffs. The mood and the response from those in the organisation who stay, changes.
People become less sociable – coffees are out. People start to emphasise what they are achieving (sometimes even at the expense of colleagues) – they also ‘spin the truth’ to their advantage.
Some staff retreat into themselves and hope ‘that it will all go away soon’. Managers become less visible - they are always in meetings. When asked about "What's happening?”, very little of the real story emerges - there seem to be many things that are ‘undiscussable’.
Organisations start cutting their marketing and training budgets – two of the biggest mistakes. Marketing brings in the business. Training helps to keep the people motivated and skilled, particularly on how to handle the business in these difficult times.
When dealing with external issues, organisations that are retreating, communicate with stakeholders more by email or text rather than phone or face-to-face. This becomes prevalent when they have bad news to give - and that’s the worst way to give bad news!
Relationships are all about trust.
Steven Covey, (‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’) introduced trust, not as a soft social virtue, but as a hard-edged economic driver that can be deposited and withdrawn from one’s emotional bank account. It takes time to build up the trust balance by way of small deposits and this balance is quickly depleted with just one withdrawal, such as treating long-term suppliers, staff, and customers differently.
In tough times, people strive to satisfy their basic needs - food, shelter, security. However, people have little conscious awareness of these security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganisation.
Conversely, children display signs of insecurity and the need to be safe openly, and parents readily respond. Perhaps managers also need to be proactive and look for these signs and respond to the need for food, shelter and security during tough times?
When managing staff during challenging times, whilst it's important to share critical company information (which appeals to our higher needs of achievement and self-actualization), it's also important to cater for people’s basic needs. More socialising, interacting and even physical contact such as hand shaking, and hugs are needed.
The same is true for customers and suppliers.
And therein lies the nub. Lockdown pressures led to face-to-face meetings being replaced with teleconferencing. Teleconferencing can be extremely effective for discussing key business issues. However, how do people build the essential social and emotional bonds required to cement lasting deals? How do they have a ‘virtual’ meal, drink, tea/coffee together? And what happens after the meeting?
How will your product or service - or perhaps the way you deliver these - help satisfy your key stakeholders’ basic needs for safety and security?
As a business manager working with staff and other stakeholders, when times are tough, look for ways to increase social contact. Search for options that will satisfy people’s need for safety and security. Be prepared to spend more face-to-face time with key people and be prepared to discuss the ‘undiscussable’ (if you don’t, others certainly will, and often negatively).
People can only do their best work when their basic needs are catered for. Customers and suppliers can only be true business partners when they feel safe and secure.
In challenging situations, when building trust in the workplace, it's important to stress security, food and shelter before talking about business performance. Access to most of the core basic needs for human survival like food, air, water are not in question in the modern day workplace. However, these are what people care and crave most about when their livelihood is threatened. So, when times are tough for business or in your organisation, make sure that your people are getting their basic needs satisfied so that they (and you) can perform at their best. Doing so, will certainly build trust within your team.