20 signs there's lack of workplace trust

In this day and age we need to be faster, smarter and more creative. Most of our work is done in teams, often virtual and across borders, and we’re shifting increasingly towards a gig economy, where we run from project to project. In order to be successful we need to work faster, smarter and be more creative.

At the same time we have a natural tendency to fear the unknown and distrust people we don’t know. Would you share your thoughts and uncertainties with people you don’t know or do not trust? Probably not, but that’s just what you need if you want to pick up speed and become more successful. You need to work together. And for this you need trust!

In a strongly fluctuating or unhealthy environment it is difficult to build trust and this lack of trust has an adverse effect on our creativity, teamwork, performance and productivity.

Do you have trust issues in your organization? Here are some signs to look for.

1. Micro managing managers and leaders

2. Endless email trails with multiple people cc’d - trying to hide behind someone's back

3. Bullying managers - authoritative, directive and aggressive leadership

4. Extreme bureaucracy - the type where you will need 10 signatures to get approval to purchase a pencil or get a workshop approved

5. Incentive schemes that promote internal competition - work against numerous conflicts - it’s us against them, we can earn our incentive strict we have numerous fights

6. Lack of support for middle managers from senior leadership - middle managers are not given the respect nor the tools to do their jobs well

7. Lack of transparency overall - secrecy and hidden agendas, only a few people have access to important information and keep that information to themselves

8. Lack of respect for each other - people tend to bypass each other to get what they want and talk behind people’s backs

9. Playing the blame game - it’s often not clear who is accountable and if something goes wrong people blame others

10. Lack of communication about strategy or direction - nobody knows or understands exactly what the strategy is because it is not communicated properly nor regularly

11. Lack of knowledge transfer or the willingness to help each other beyond the individual's responsibilities

12. Slow decision making processes - the boss is the only one who decides and forms a bottle neck

13. Bad teamwork - strong focus on individual goals and individual rewards and incentives, every man for himself

14. Slow improvement and lack of professionalism

15. Hardly any fun or companionship - people do not spend time together outside their regular work activities

16. People feeling drained of energy

17. Projects that run out of time and budget

18. High incident and accident rates

19. Lack of creativity

20. High turnover

Of course there’s always the chicken or egg discussion. Which came first? Either way, these signs offer a signal there might be trust issues involved and it’s worth checking into it and do something about it.