The workplace is not so different from a romantic relationship in some ways. Most notably, trust is everything. Without trust, your team will not be able to properly collaborate and morale will decline. Without trust, it’s difficult to hold people accountable and peoples’ motivations will often be questioned. 

In fact, research shows that trust is an essential part of engagement. Trusting individuals are 260% more motivated at work, and 50% less likely to look for another job. Even more interesting is that most employers overestimate their workforce’s trust level by almost 40%. Lack of trust can become a huge and destructive problem in the workplace, so it’s important to do what you can to create it among your work teams. In this article, we’re exploring some ways to build this all-important trust within your staff. Keep reading to learn some new and interesting ways to build trust that makes an impact on your team. 

16 Great ways to build trust in a team

Generally speaking, the best way to build trust is to simply be trustworthy and encourage others to do the same. But what does that really mean? Here are 16 ways to increase trust in your work teams and improve morale, motivation, and collaboration. 

1. Show that you value long-term relationships

Real trust requires longer-term thinking. It’s tempting to make decisions based on what's easy or convenient or considering only the short term, but consider the impact of damaging relationships and what that means for the future. Before you act, think about how decisions will impact your employee or your relationship for months or years to come. Take extra time to be supportive of the team members you want to see stick around for a long time, and do what you can to make them feel heard and appreciated. 

2. Tell the truth

It’s difficult to have trust without truth. Refusing to tell the truth - or the whole truth - can hurt your reputation quickly. Even a few times of not being honest with your team members will get around and erode trust. Always tell the truth, even when it’s inconvenient or awkward. Don’t give anyone the opportunity to catch you in a lie. It’s not enough to simply seem like a person who tells the truth consistently - you have to actually be that person. 

3. Host team-building events

Team-building activities from simple icebreakers to organized offsites are all important parts of establishing relationships and creating a strong team culture. When people get to know each other better, they are more likely to develop a trusting relationship. Team-building activities are great for improving communication, supporting collaboration, and enabling productivity. Through fun and interactive activities, teams can work together more effectively as well as enhance morale and motivation. For more ways to encourage team camaraderie, make sure to check out our blog. 

4. Check in with one-on-one meetings

Personal conversations are an essential part of manager-employee relationships. Though larger group meetings are also important, having the opportunity to interact directly with a manager is helpful for establishing more trusting teams. 1:1 meetings are great for employees to speak with their supervisor about problems or concerns as well as get feedback on performance. These conversations can help leaders to identify challenges before they become bigger issues, and work together on areas for improvement. This is also a great time for employees to openly and candidly discuss any conflicts they might be having and get input on the most positive path forward. 

5. Honor commitments you make

When you say you’re going to do something, you need to do it. A trustworthy person does everything within their power to follow through on any promises that you made. If you make a promise or commitment, follow through. The other important part of this is to avoid making commitments that you may not be able to make. Before setting expectations with people, give real thought to whether or not you’ll actually be able to execute. If there is any chance that things might not go how you hoped, you should be honest and up front about that to the extent that you’re able to be. 

6. Admit when you’re wrong

No one likes excuses. You don’t want to hear them from your staff and they don’t want to hear them from you. If something has gone wrong, it’s best just to be honest and up front. If you realize you were incorrect about something, it’s a good idea to be honest about that so that you can more quickly begin to find a resolution. Being vulnerable is a good quality that people appreciate, and it also humanizes you and makes you more trustworthy. Admitting mistakes doesn’t make you look weak; it’s a truly admirable quality in a leader. Plus, once you have established a reputation for telling the truth - even when it’s unflattering - employees will trust that you are doing the right things. After all, if you weren’t doing the right things, you would simply say so! 

7. Avoid miscommunication

Too often, trust is damaged by simple miscommunications. That is just one reason that effective communication is essential in work teams. Whenever possible, communicate in such a way that there is no room for miscommunication. Always allow people to ask questions to gain clarity and don’t be afraid to ask them yourself if you’re unclear on something. Listening is a crucial component of good communication too. Make sure that you give other people time to talk and genuinely listen. Practice active listening where you repeat what the other person said in your own words, to ensure you understand. There are a variety of communication exercises you can conduct with your team to improve overall listening and communicating. 

8. Be open and vulnerable

Don’t be afraid to be open with your emotions and share your feelings. Doing so inherently makes you more trustworthy and relatable. After all, we’re all just human and want to be understood. It’s never a bad idea to remind your team of that fact. If something has upset you or stressed you out, find a way to share that information with your team in a constructive (non-negative) way. However, that doesn’t mean sharing every little thought or feeling with your employees. Some discretion needs to be in play, and you need to use emotional intelligence to make sure you aren’t under or over-sharing. Share gradually and when it’s important and can make a difference in the conversation or course of events. For example, if you have experienced a death in the family and it’s causing you to be distracted, it’s ok to tell your team “I’m dealing with a family death and not feeling my best today. I apologize if I’m a bit distracted, I know this is important and I’m committed to the best outcomes. Please bear with me as I process everything the next few days.” 

9. Help people when possible

Few things will make you appear as trustworthy as supporting those around you when they need it. People who are trustworthy go out of their way to help others when they can - not because it serves an agenda or their own interests, but because it's the right thing to do. If you notice a coworker struggling with a project, ask how you can help. If you have a few minutes at the end of the day, consider asking your boss if there’s anything you can do to support them. Or, if you see a colleague trying to learn something new that you are proficient in, offer to train them. This is particularly helpful for new employees who don’t know anyone and have a lot to learn. No act is too small when it comes to your team! Check out some connection building activities to foster stronger relationships with your colleagues. 

10. Demonstrate genuine caring

It’s natural to trust people that you believe have your best interests in mind, and it's a great feeling when people are truly interested in your life. Start by remembering small details like the names of your coworkers' kids or an upcoming vacation that you know they’re excited about. Simply asking people how their weekend was or what they have coming up is a great place to begin. We’ve all worked with people that make it very clear that they’re only interested in themselves. And, we’ve all worked with people who took an interest in us and made us feel important. Who did you trust more? Dale Carnegie once famously said “A person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” When all else fails, just make a point of using someone’s name when speaking to them. This small step alone can demonstrate authentic interest and caring to those around you. 

11. Stand up for (and to) people

Does your team have an underdog? If so, taking up for them may be just the ticket to earning the entire team’s trust. People naturally respect honesty and don’t want to be surrounded by “yes men”. It’s important to do what you know is right, whether ethically or based on the best outcomes for your work. True leaders value a variety of interests and opinions, because that variety makes the team stronger and can improve results in almost any area. Don’t go along with bad or immoral ideas just to get ahead or please your boss. As much as you’re able to, share your authentic opinion, even if it’s not shared by the people around you. It’s particularly important that team members don’t see you throwing anyone under the bus, or agreeing to something that they know you actually disagree with. Be authentic and honest, even when it can be difficult or may lead to some tough discussions. The people who witness it will respect you more and grow to trust you. 

12. Be transparent

Just be honest! If you can explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, most people will respect that. Don’t keep secrets unless necessary, and don’t be an information hoarder. Obviously if you’re in a position of leadership, you will be privy to information that other people don’t need to (or shouldn’t) know. However, it’s important that you share the information that is necessary to make everyone successful. If there are things that people need to know that can help improve the outcomes for the team, don’t hoard that information out of some sense of exclusivity. Remember that the people on your team are those you should be collaborating with and you probably share the same goals. Whenever possible, share as much information as you’re able to. That also means being honest when you are not at liberty to share. Instead of lying to misdirect people, you can be honest that you don’t know the answer, or that you’re not able to share right now but you’ll be sure to keep them in the loop on anything that will ultimately affect them. Sometimes simply saying “That’s something we aren’t sure about right now, but I’ll be sure to update the team as soon as we have some direction” can go a long way toward letting your team know that you’re trustworthy. 

13. Create clear expectations and boundaries

This step is more important than most people think. You need to have clear guidelines in place on how employees should communicate, behave, and do their jobs. Without that, you can’t be sure that everyone is comfortable in their work environment or that they even know what to do to be successful. Everyone should be clear on roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Your job as a leader is to establish structure, consistency, and stability. This way you can also center the common goals of projects which will increase productivity. 

14. Create psychologically safe spaces

As mentioned, open and vulnerable communication is a powerful part of team trust. How can employees feel safe to be open and authentic if you haven’t cultivated such a culture? Ideally, everyone feels comfortable to express their opinions - especially on work related matters - with each other, without anxiety about judgment or criticism. All voices should be heard and respected, but that is not something that just happens. It’s a dynamic that’s created over time. Start by being open and honest about flaws, concerns, and mistakes as a leader. This will show that the floor is open and it’s ok to question or challenge the status quo. Being vulnerable also shows your team that you care most about the work outcomes; that you care more about working together to find the right solutions than you do about placing blame for things that may have gone wrong. 

15. Celebrate milestones

All teams need a sense of purpose and direction, and you can help to create this by highlighting milestones or achievements. Not only is it fun and makes the subject feel great, but it gives everyone something to look forward to and work toward. This is especially helpful where common goals are concerned, so that teams can make a point of working collaboratively to achieve the necessary milestones. Always take the time to celebrate important team or individual wins so that everyone is motivated and focused on achievement. Find other ways to boost team spirit on our blog.

16. Lead by example

When it comes to creating any culture change in an organization, few things are as important as leading by example. It’s essential that your leadership team puts into practice all of the tips listed here. If employees don’t see management doing things to build trust, they will be less likely to engage in them on their own. Plus, their trust in company leadership will take a hit. Do everything you can to be open, honest, and trusting in your daily activities and your employees will follow suit.

Make sure to follow our blog for even more great trust-building exercises and relationship-building activities. 

Plan two team-building retreats per year to maximize trust

Any of these tactics will be helpful for creating a more trusting culture in your organization. The more you can put into practice, the better - and the stronger your team will be. Gathering everyone together occasionally will help people to get to know each other, socialize, and learn as a group. The truth is, even the most effective teams can be improved by having in-person meetings and retreats.

We suggest teams get together quarterly, or at a minimum twice per year. Organize two different team-building retreats where employees can come together in one place to participate in learning sessions, social activities, volunteer opportunities, and other exercises that can help with morale and productivity. If you have limited bandwidth and cannot plan and execute two different team-building retreats, let Surf Office help. We help organizations of all types and sizes to create powerful team-building experiences that make a real impact on team trust.