One of the most important qualities in any business is trust. You need to be able to trust your employees if you want to manage your business well. Sadly most business owners don’t or can’t trust their employees and have stringent rules and controls in place to keep things under control. This in turn kills employee morale, adversely affects creativity and leads to employee dissatisfaction, and as we all know employees are the backbone of any organisation. So how can you build trust in your company and improve the atmosphere at work?

• Be Trustworthy– If you or the management of the business cannot be trusted, how can you even expect employees to be trustworthy? You have to earn the trust of your employees, and you do that by being honest, ethical and behaving with integrity. Earn the loyalty and trust if your employees.

• Hire the Right People– Every business has its own character and finding people who fit in with the character of the business is important. Also if you find someone who abuses the culture of the business, or doesn’t contribute to the growth of the business, they shouldn’t be kept around for long. One rotten apple is all it takes to spoil the whole bunch. Besides if people find that those who do wrong can get away with it, they will be inclined to either abuse their job or be disheartened and leave.

• Reasonable Rules– It is important for any organization to have rules, but it is equally important that those be reasonable and fair to the management and employees. Try to keep rules simple and straightforward. Reward good performance and behaviour; don’t focus on the negative.

• Be Attentive and Kind– Paying attention is an important life skill. Pay attention to employees and be kind to them so that they feel appreciated and genuinely like you. They will not be inclined to cheat you if they like you.

• Involve Employees in the Business– If your employees are involved in your business, they will be invested in it and in its success. Take their opinions, involve them in decisions so that they are motivated to do their best.