Trusting Isn’t Easy…But It’s Crucial

Trust takes practice. That’s why we do ‘trust exercises’ or ‘build trust’. It’s not something that comes easily—especially if our trust has been taken for granted in the past. Nevertheless, when it comes to the world of work, an environment with no trust is a tumultuous one. So, in order to be excellent business leaders and employees, we have to learn how to - and create an environment that allows for - trust.

The issue of trust in the workplace became a major talking point during the 2020 shift to remote work. Almost overnight, the very structure of everyday business switched to a new model, one where managers and company leaders no longer had visual assurance over their teams. Naturally, such a huge shift raised concerns over corporate readiness to accommodate these ways of working. There were widespread concerns over employee productivity and communication. Two years later, however, and these conversations are still rumbling on, despite huge improvements in the way that we monitor and communicate with remote workers. 

The fact is, there’s still a discrepancy between the stats and general feelings towards remote work. Over the last couple of years, tons of research has been done around productivity levels for remote or hybrid work, and the findings are unanimously positive. For example, 77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period of time.

Nevertheless, bosses are still unconvinced. Findings from an online survey of 200 US executives in 2021 suggested company leaders and managers didn’t have full faith in a third of their staff to correctly utilise the collaborative remote technologies needed to make remote working successful. 

These issues all boil down to trust. The figures tell us that remote work works, so how do we embrace this knowledge and let go of our skepticism? 

If you’re concerned about employee productivity, communication or team building: 

• Think about how you can create transparent, visible processes to keep track of workloads and deliverables, without breathing down necks unnecessarily. 
• Remember that a robust method for tracking KPIs is worth 100 desk-sitters. 
• Schedule sessions into the calendar that directly address how your employees are doing and any concerns they’re having. 
• Put time in simply to catch up and chat candidly, as you would do in an office.    

One thing to remember is that trust spreads. If you cultivate an atmosphere that is open and trusting, not only will your employees work productively from home when needed, but they will also naturally become more positive and enthusiastic towards work in general. 

At Remotify, we’re experts at helping you to get the most out of remote work, whether that’s getting your employees the right benefits, or making sure you’re hiring and engaging the best and most reliable talent. Want to find out exactly how we can do it for you? Give us a call today!