Eight Symptoms of a Low-Trust Organization

Do you have a close, comfortable relationship with anyone you do not trust?  Clearly, the answer to this question is going to be NO. Without mutual trust,  relationships, whether personal or work-based, are uncomfortable and  distant.

As it applies to the workplace, trust can be very difficult to define. Think  about your own work environment and ask yourself, “How would I define “trust” as  it applies to the work environment? Does trust exist in my organization/company?  If trust doesn’t exist, how would I know?

It’s important to think about these questions because in organizations where  there is no trust, there is no real communication, turnover is high, employees  generally lack inspiration and are unwilling to voluntarily expend extra time  and energy in their work. It’s clear that a lack of trust is very costly to an  organization. Hence, it’s important that you be able to identify the warning  signs of a low-trust organization.

Communication

In organizations lacking trust, open, frank, and effective communication is  non-existent. As it relates to communication, there is a lack of trust when  people:

1. Feel unsafe about expressing their opinions or feelings – “Don’t tell the  boss how you really feel, or you’ll be in his bad books.”

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