Building trust during the pandemic can be a tough sell. According to a news report by Channel News Asia, the recent work from home situation has brewed mistrust between managers and their employees.
As a recruitment agency, we understand this plight faced by employees across different offices in Singapore. In this article, we will discuss the different ways you can build trust with your boss during the pandemic. However, here at BGC Group, we believe that trust is a two way street. Managers, bosses and supervisors will also have to play their part to allow trust to build during this work from home season.
Why Trust Needs to be Built During This Work From Home Season
The problem with most companies in Singapore is that micromanagement is still a popular form of management in most organizations. To clarify, micromanagement refers to the leadership style where managers pay close attention to their subordinates. Despite its popularity, it is an outdated management style that many do not agree with.
Micromanagement is a breeding ground for multiple problems. Employee burnout, stifled creativity, increased levels of stress and decreased productivity rates are just the tip of the iceberg. The added stress of the pandemic can also have an effect on the company’s turnover rates.
An article by Channel News Asia outlines several problems that micromanaged employees have to deal with. Some employees are terrified of their work status going from ‘online’ to ‘offline’ that they move their mouse every 10 minutes. Others complained of how the multiple steps that their managers want them to conduct in order to track their movements online. The article ends by claiming that the constant surveying and tracking led multiple employees to having mental breakdowns in an already stressed out pandemic.
With work from home becoming the new normal, employers will have to learn to trust their employees. Failing to do this can lead to losing a number of talented employees.
How Employers Can Foster Trust During the Pandemic
There are many different steps that employers can take to foster trust during these trying times. It’s important to remember that in order to build trust, employers will have to create a safe office space online.
Some ways employers can do this include:
Mind your language: It’s important to remember that the written word can be challenging to some people. Sometimes, messages and sentences can be misconstrued to be much more sinister than they actually are. One way to convey emotion through text and messaging is by using emojis. Don’t forget to throw in a few slang words here and there to make the online environment less threatening.
Give your employees space to recharge: Having ample space and time to recharge can be a luxury when an employee is working from home. Sources state that the current work from home situation can be a nightmare situation for some employees. Blurred lines and lack of boundaries are plentiful when working from home.
Provide help to struggling employees: The pandemic is an event that has caused turbulence and uncertainty to many lives. It is likely that a number of your employees are affected by the current pandemic. Employees who are struggling with personal issues might affect the company’s productivity rates.
Some ways a company can provide help to struggling employees is by fostering a sense of community at work. Or help your employees deal with the struggles of the pandemic by extending some empathy to those struggling.
It doesn’t take much to increase morale during the pandemic. In fact, empathetic leaders and managers often reap benefits such as increased productivity and morale rates. Other benefits include better corporate reputation as well as open communication amongst employees.
Read: 3 Ways to Become a More Empathetic Leader in Times of Crisis
However, it is important that building trust is a two-way street that can also be cultivated by the employees. Let’s examine the number of things an employee can do to build trust during the pandemic.
How Employees Can Build Trust During the Pandemic
Bosses who micromanage often have unresolved issues within them. It might sound difficult to build trust with a micromanager when working from home. But these tips might be helpful.
Some ways employees can build trust during the pandemic include:
Be upfront about your struggles: Working from home is a little like working in a vacuum. It is tough for a manager to distinguish an employees’ struggle when not working in a shared office space. Being vulnerable about your emotional, financial, or even health struggles can help facilitate open communication between you and your manager. Who knows! They might even be able to provide some help during these unfortunate times.
Offer adaptable alternatives: Whether you like it or not, the current work from home situation is likely going to stay for quite some time. One way to make your work life slightly easier during this time is by offering automated alternatives.
Some questions to consider when trying to offer adaptable alternatives include:
What are some tasks that can be automated?
What program alternatives are available out there?
How trustworthy are they? What are the reviews like?
Are the programs free or paid? What’s the difference between the free and paid version?
Be trustworthy: Unfortunately, in order to build trust between you and your manager. You have to be more trustworthy despite this stressful season. One way to do this is by simply being upfront about the goals and tasks you’ve completed during the week. Stay on track and let your supervisors know whenever you come across any problems with hitting your KPI’s.
Looking for more work from home related articles? You might want to check out the BGC Group blog for more useful articles.
Read More: How to Provide A Comfortable Work Environment for Your Employees Working From Home