You may have often heard that trust is key in business. But how do you get people to trust each other? What’s the secret to long-term collaboration and cooperation between different groups of people? One way to do this is to look at the challenge of maintaining trust between new hires and long-term staffers. These are two groups that often have problems with each other. The long-term people may resent the new hires, and the new hires may distrust people who seem to have more power than them within the company. Here are some ways to set these concerns to rest, and generally develop a higher degree of trust among your people.

Be an Example

True leadership starts with serving as an example to other people. One of the best ways to foster trust is to be a trustful person, and show it at work. That involves creating open and transparent relationships with coworkers, and calling on others to do the same. It means giving all people access to information, and being up-front with people about what the company is doing, and why.

Create a No-Gossip Corporate Culture

Gossip can be a productivity killer, but it also can undercut morality and team building, which can threaten to destroy company departments. Be proactive in building a corporate culture that doesn’t have room for people whispering or snickering in the corners. Build active and vital teams with a great level of transparency, and eliminate gossip from your business. You can’t outlaw it, but you can find ways to disincentivize this kind of antisocial behavior.

Illustrate Team Goals and Incentives

To keep people working as teams, keep them focused on team goals. Incentivize success. Give people solid reasons to work together and accomplish objectives. Whether that’s money, food, gift cards, or any kind of promotional swag, link these key goals to concrete rewards, and you have a better chance of leading people in the ways you want them to go.

Value Accountability and Express Equality

This is a big one that many managers overlook. Why is it important to talk about these values? One reason is because without any kind of active leadership in this area, long-time people at a company can get entirely too comfortable. They can start to feel like they have ownership, or develop a kind of complex that ends the harassment or domination of younger or newer coworkers. There can be elements of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, racial discrimination or age discrimination involved.

One of the best ways to nip this in the bud is to show how all people are equal in a company, and show how the leadership expects the same level of integrity and dedication from all of its members. Don’t let a caste system develop where higher level people are allowed to get away with certain things. Maintain that everyone is equal, and that they will be treated that way.

Create Learning and Collaborative Programs

One additional step is to create programs that partner new hires with longer-term staffers. This can be in the form of mentoring, or some other similar format. These programs will help build that “connective tissue” in your corporate culture that keeps people engaged and working toward the same goals.

About Full Steam Staffing

Full Steam Staffing is a full-service staffing agency focused on providing clerical and light industrial staffing solutions to manufacturers, distribution centers and other organizations that need qualified, reliable workers. If you are currently looking to hire and grow your workforce, contact our team of skilled recruiters today!