The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted communication successes and failings across the board. Best intentions have led many leaders to immediately prioritize regular communications with their staff. However, a 2020 Kotter study showed that executives are perceived as less transparent by front-line workers than senior staff, seriously harming the impact of this messaging on the majority of their employees.
While communication professionals can provide valuable input on improving internal communications, bridging a 21-point divide in perceptions takes more than great writers and knowledgeable practitioners. In business, as in all aspects of life, effective communication relies on one basic element—trust.
How important is trust?
According to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, employees who trust their employers are more likely to advocate on their behalf (78%), stay loyal (74%), be engaged and live the organization’s values (71%), and be strongly committed to their jobs (83%). These figures highlight the benefits of establishing a trusting work environment and conversely the negative impacts of a distrusting workforce.
How trustworthy are you?
To increase trust, it is important to establish a true understanding of the current situation. Too often, leaders rely on ineffective measures of employee sentiment and review processes. Given the significance of trust, annual surveys just do not cut it.
Reporting discontent or dissatisfaction is never easy for an employee. In 2017, a study found that a quarter of harassment cases went unreported for fear of retaliation, even though two-thirds of employers had workplace harassment policies. When one in four employees is not comfortable enough to bring forward serious cases of abuse, a simple survey cannot be relied on as an accurate measure of trust.
If your last satisfaction results seemed too good to be true, try something new to confirm. Positive results can indicate an optimal environment, but they can just as easily reflect a culture of fear, with employees unwilling or unable to speak out. It is important to know the difference. A suggestion box may be “old-school”, but if it provides the anonymity required to get honest input, why not give it a try?
The hard truth about building trust
Many leaders have highlighted the challenges of developing and maintaining trust in an organization. We know that trusting relationships are hard to build and easy to destroy. We also know that trust in organizations has been impacted by COVID-19, particularly trust in the public sector, which has seen a 19% decline in those who cite government as honest. So, what can leaders do right now to re-establish trust and build back relationships?
Give trust to gain trust
Leaders have intense schedules, meaning that front-line workers often do not get much face time with those at the top. This might explain the 24-point gap between management and other staff’s opinions on executives’ truth-telling. All front-line staff know about their leaders is what they see and read, so take full advantage of your communication staff. Trust your communication team and delegate tasks like all-staff emails, newsletters, and news releases to maximize your schedule. Spend your valuable time meeting with your team, explaining your stance, and approving key messages. But let them spread the word effectively, trusting that they will safeguard your reputation and the organization’s image.
Trust the experts
Executives are educated, talented, and experienced, but no one is an expert on everything. COVID-19 has staff seeking answers and well-intentioned leaders looking to provide them… but be cautious.
Information on public health guidelines changes by the minute—just look at masking advice. Beyond organizational specifics, be mindful of what information you are sharing and how. If you establish precedent for hosting updates on your intranet, make sure you have the capacity and processes in place to keep these areas updated. Providing outdated information can be as harmful as providing no information at all. Consider linking to external websites rather than reinventing the wheel. Not only does this reduce resource requirements, but it also ensures consistency and protects your reputation should there be any mistakes or inaccuracies.
Right now, the impact of COVID-19 on public confidence in government has 92% of employees looking to their organization to step up and lead on ethical issues. Capitalize on your communication resources, be bold, be brave, and take advantage of this captive audience that is crying out for inspirational leadership.
