The corona crisis is leaving its mark: people are not only getting depressed and fat, developing anxiety disorders or resorting to alcohol, but also seem to be becoming more and more suspicious. Far fewer people trust the federal government today than in April 2020, according to a survey by Cosmo, a joint project of the Federal Center for Health Education, universities and scientific institutes. One in four in Germany thinks that almost no politician is honest with the citizens. The good news for companies: trust in employers has hardly changed in the pandemic. However, it is only at a medium level and has leveled off at values between 4 and 5. 1 means little trust, 7 a lot.
“Trust is an investment,” says Daniel Marek, management consultant and career coach in Zurich. "This not only ensures a good working atmosphere, but also increases efficiency." This has been proven in various studies. Just a few findings from the dozen studies evaluated: Employees who trust are more productive and creative, make clearer decisions and are more likely to identify with the company. In an atmosphere of trust, collaboration with colleagues works better, teams are more committed, managers and employees exchange ideas more, and employees are more satisfied with their boss. Although a lot of research is now being carried out on trust, the results are not being implemented sufficiently, the researchers concluded. "If I were the head of the company,I would build trust as an integral part of my corporate strategy, ”says Jessica Lang, professor for occupational health psychology at the Aachen University Hospital. "How to develop and maintain trust should also be integrated into training and further education."
Amazingly, however, there are hardly any scientific studies on which measures can be used to create trust in the company.
One of the few meaningful studies was carried out by the University of California at San Francisco in 2014. Although it only applies to medical students and doctors, the findings can be transferred to other professions.
In 49 studies, the researchers analyzed which factors lead doctors to trust students.
This is essential in everyday clinical practice: doctors have to decide which student they can delegate how much responsibility - it is similar in many companies.
"Show interest and just ask: How are you?"
Managers play a role: Experienced doctors are better able to assess the abilities of their students and are more likely to know who they can trust. Inexperienced doctors, on the other hand, did not dare to give students responsible tasks even though they could have done them well. The solution: teams between younger and experienced managers so that the inexperienced can learn from the experienced. If the doctor showed enthusiasm for his subject and explained his considerations and decisions to the student, and then the student acts in the same way, he becomes more trustworthy to the doctor. “That certainly also applies the other way around,” says industrial psychologist Lang. “As the head of the company, if I share what concerns me and ask my employees for their opinion, they will certainly place more trust in me.“If an extension is planned in the company, don't hire the architect straight away, but ask the employees in advance what they want. Maybe a storage room for the office supplies? A new cafeteria? A lounge?
Which is not surprising: in order for the doctors to be able to trust the students, they had to be competent. These are not just technical skills. If a student shows that he would like to learn and explains how he sees the individual case of a patient and what he would do, the doctor recognizes this as competent, he trusts him and lets him work more and more independently.
Reliability, honesty, transparency, constructive handling of mistakes - these are key elements for trust, says management consultant Marek. In everyday life it could look like this: If I promise employees a salary increase, I will also pay it from next month. If I have a sweaty meeting, I'll honestly admit it and apologize. If I have to ask employees to work overtime, I openly explain why. If the customer has declined an order, I don't scold the employees, but instead think together with everyone what it could have been and what we can do better next time.
He experiences again and again that it is easier for people to build trust when they reveal something personal about themselves. "Anyone who speaks impartially and self-confidently about experiences and personal preferences shows strength - and thus trust," says Marek. However, your own opinion should not be represented as the only true one, it is better to speak in I-messages or to look for common ground. She is amazed, says Jutta Boenig, career advisor in Überlingen on Lake Constance, at how little company bosses have the topic on their radar. “I keep hearing managers complain that they have problems with the team. When I then ask how the employees are doing, they look at me questioningly - they have never asked about it. ”She says it is so easy to create the basis for trust in everyday work.“Show interest and just ask: How are you?” Or “What are the children doing?” And reveal feelings about themselves: “My daughter is just starting to go through puberty, the crisis annoys me, and now it's getting tight again in the home office - with us the house blessing is pretty crooked right now. "