Remember when ‘telecommuting’ was a novel and innovative concept? How quickly the world of work has changed since those early notions of workplace flexibility. The context in which we work has (and continues to) change dramatically. Autonomy and choice has become highly valued and top talent demands it, leaving employers considering how to become more agile in order to develop and manage increasingly mobile workforces that no longer operate on a 9 to 5 schedule.
In this evolving workplace environment, building trust with your organization has never been more critical, yet many organizations still struggle to overcome requisite presenteeism and shift their thinking to respond to the need for untethered work. In order to be successful in the current business environment and into the future, we must learn to trust our talent and measure performance through results. Trust is a reciprocal relationship and employee trust must be fostered through ongoing transparency, open communication and authenticity from the business.
Developing a high trust culture takes time, and as we all know, can be delicate to maintain as once trust is broken it is challenging to rebuild. Commitment to a culture of trust is worth the investment of time and effort – high trust organizations nurture increased employee engagement, and in the new workplace engagement has become a key measure of company success.
Engagement and trust go hand in hand. The Great Place to Work Institute defines a great workplace as one in which we trust the people we work for, have pride in what we do, and enjoy the people we work with. The result is a highly engaged workforce, and highly engaged organizations outperform their competitors across multiple dimensions.
The future of work is here. Is your organization primed to cultivate trust and build a highly engaged workforce?