"Trust is earned, not given"

Trust & Loyalty, Loyalty & Trust.

Where are these two things today?



When the economy got bad and layoffs started becoming more and more frequent, people began trusting their bosses about as much as they would trust being locked in a room with a sleeping bear, about to wake up and pounce without much notice. It's understandable that when companies start doing bad, the effects are felt everywhere from the top of the employment chain all the way to the bottom. With these cuts, layoffs because a fear looming over employees heads. The people who held jobs would be thankful to have survived the day as they left their office for the night.



Maybe I'm being a little over dramatic, but the point is that a lot of people were terrified. The people that they have come to known as respectable bosses were suddenly becoming the enemy. They lost faith in their superiors. The morale of almost every industry drastically decreased. When you lose that faith and trust in your employer, your loyalty to them also goes out the window.



Now, businesses must take on the responsibility of earning back that trust. There was a time when people loved going to work, they felt secure there. They felt that if they worked hard and completed the tasks at hand, that they would be allowed to keep their jobs. We need to get back to that.



I read an article by a man named Roger Hall called "Bring Trust and Loyalty Back to the Workplace" and he made some very good suggestions that I would like to share with all of you:



1. Schedule 'face time' with every employee

2. Choose appropriate communication channels

3. Over acknowledge and praise often

4. Be honest

5. Walk the Talk



I can't help but be reminded of when I was younger and I would disappoint my mom somehow, and she would say "you have to earn my trust back." That's exactly what employers have to do now. Yes, it may take time and effort on their part but the benefits of having happy employers who value, trust and are loyal to their bosses will have much more of a payout than what needs to be invested upfront.

Michela ><((">

Michela is a ><(("> Team member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a managment and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, FL and Richmond, VA. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com .