When business leaders break faith with employees—for example, if there are layoffs with no warning or promised programs or benefits are abandoned—regaining their trust can be difficult. Even when outside, unavoidable circumstances have contributed to broken promises, leaders still have to be prepared to deal with the consequences of employees’ disappointment and loss of confidence.
So what steps do leaders need to take to rebuild bridges with wary team members? Below, 10 experts from Forbes Human Resources Council share practical first steps a leadership team can take to reach out and restore good faith.
Members of Forbes Human Resources Council share several important steps leaders can take when their employees' trust in them has been damaged.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Be honest and genuine.
Honesty and transparency are the keys to rebuilding broken trust. Hold an all-staff meeting to gather everyone together and discuss and address their concerns. Leaders need to have difficult conversations that can be life-changing for employees—having a leader who is genuine, empathetic and honest with their employees is essential. - Janet Alden-Rahi, Robert Walters
2. Acknowledge that their negative emotions are valid.
Acknowledging honestly and transparently the tough emotional reality of the situation is an important first step that is sometimes overlooked. Too often, we move directly to explaining why something has happened or selling a vision of how the future will be better without making space for people to share their negative emotions around what’s happened. Clearing the past is an important step in helping people process and move on. - Philip Burgess, C Space
3. Assure them you’ve learned from the situation.
Fully acknowledge the misstep and have a plan to present to employees that shows a commitment to moving forward differently. Let employees know that the organization has learned from the misstep and is committed to better communication and partnership moving forward. - Ayesha Whyte
4. Communicate the ‘why.’
Employees’ trust is what advances organizations. In this unlimited data age, constant communication—whether good, bad or indifferent—is a must. Organizations can’t control the environmental macros that are levied upon them, but they can control the messaging. In these instances, communicating the “why” can heal wounds a lot faster than sweeping issues under the rug. Transparency is the glue that binds retention. - Terrence Black, Entergy
5. Share as many details as possible.
Sharing as much information as possible about why the situation happened and how the company plans to move forward is helpful. It is also important to listen and validate employees’ feelings. - Jennifer Dill, Data Innovations LLC
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
6. Help laid-off staff find new work.
Where possible, offer other positions to laid-off employees. Connect them with personal recruiters or companies that are hiring, and help them with the job search. This means a lot to employees. I even do this during termination interviews: I always have a card on hand for someone to reach out for another position, whether it be for a staffing agency or something I know of. - Melissa Bolton, Perlon Hahl Inc.
7. Let your HR team offer advice and coaching.
HR can advise and coach leaders through these situations, but the relationship repair is between leaders and their employees. This is often hard for leaders to do because they understandably want to hide or honestly have not been trained for these situations. It requires candor, reflection and transparency, and it can be tough. Having the HR team work with leaders to craft solutions and interventions to rebuild trust is also key. - Erin Adkins, Sony Interactive Entertainment
8. Preemptively build a culture of trust.
The worst thing leadership can do when trust has been broken is to allow the organization to move forward without acknowledgment. The best thing HR can do is to preemptively build a culture of trust through empathy and active listening. Then, if trust is broken, you have the “trust capital” to acknowledge the impact of the event, own it and involve the employees in repairing it. - Trenae Forman, Black Girls CODE
9. Emphasize your commitment to regaining their trust.
It’s critically important to acknowledge the breach of trust and how or why it occurred. Then speak to the context or rationale behind the changes made and, most importantly, the commitment to rebuilding their trust by being open and transparent—to the extent that leadership can be—on these decisions going forward. - Victoria Pelletier, IBM
10. Set new expectations and then deliver.
Own it, then start small. Set expectations and then deliver on them. It can be as simple as communicating that you are going to do something by a certain date and then following through and doing it. Trust can be destroyed in one action, but it takes multiple actions to rebuild it. Double down on transparency as well. Share as much as you can, focusing on why and how decisions impact people. - Nicole Roberts, MVAH Partners, LLC
