By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col (ret)

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Preferred workplaces are interesting, welcoming, stimulating venues where employees enjoy spending their time along with a feeling of personal satisfaction as they head out at the end of the day.   Trust is an essential element that must be present for a preferred workplace to exist; however, in many workplaces trust is low, and instead of enjoying their work, employees spend each day feeling anxious and wondering when, where and why the next assault will take place.   Rather than focusing on team goals, worried employees revert to a defensive position and focus on avoiding making mistakes.  Both morale and productivity suffer in a low-trust environment.

Writing in his personal blog, The Workplace Therapist, Brandon Smith offers a list of characteristics of a  low-trust environment, including the following:

• Food is routinely stolen from the break room.
• You worry about what others say about you when you turn you back.
• No one praises each other, ever.
• No one helps if someone is struggling. It’s “everyone for his / herself” combat at work.
• You are encouraged to compete and beat your co-workers at all costs.
• Your boss plays favorites.

Changing the culture of your team requires effective communication, commitment and consistency; with effective leadership, it can be done.   Leaders can build a trusting environment by making expectations known and creating boundaries for the behavior of team members.   Increase trust and move toward becoming a preferred workplace by enacting these recommendations.

 Share information   Absolute honestly is essential in building trust because no one trusts a liar.  Disseminate information openly and transparently to let those around you know that you have nothing to hide, nor do you have hidden agendas.  Have frequent team meetings on which you share information freely, solicit feedback, and listen attentively.  Ask your team to describe their views of a trusting environment; take notes and make some suggested changes.

Promote professional development   People who know that you have a benevolent interest in their personal development will trust your intentions and will reciprocate by behaving in a manner that earns your trust.  Elevating the skills of every member on your team establishes a spirit of collaboration and reduces dog eat dog competition that is found on low trust teams.  As you focus on mentoring and developing those you supervise, they will take an interest in helping one another with a “pay it forward” attitude.

Give praise   Recognizing and thanking those around you is a quick and effortless way to build trust.  Not only will workers feel valued, praising them reduces the fear that you will take credit for their work.  Never let a day pass without recognizing and thanking at least one person on your team for a job well done.

Stop gossip    Gossip is a trust killer…always.   When someone tells you something negative about someone else, you can be assured that they will also talk about you behind your back.  Do not participate in or listen to gossip…stop it in it’s tracks.  For example, one day in the lunch room where I work a person joined our table and quickly started to say negative things about another person on the team who was not present to defend himself.  Rather than participating or allowing the gossip to continue, a second person at the table replied, “I’m sure he would be disappointed to know that you feel that way.”  Quickly and effortlessly, she brought the gossip to a halt and the conversation moved to another topic.

Take the first step toward establishing a preferred workplace by building a secure environment where pats on the back replace the knives that were previously placed there.  Meet with your team and openly discuss the desired behavior needed to increase trust and then lead by example.  By communicating with clarity while promoting the skills and interest of every person on your team, morale and productivity will increase and you will gain a reputation for being a highly desired and enjoyable place to work.

Thomas Davis is a noted leader, educator, speaker and clinical anesthetist. 

Build a preferred workplace.  Join Tom and a group of healthcare leaders for the values-based leadership webinar.  Click here for information.