What employees want at work: communication and trust

So finds a new report by the MIT Sloan Management Review. In the dark days leading up to the vaccine, between March and October 2020, researchers at Claremont Graduate University asked nearly 300 employees across a range of industries what their manager could do to ease their uncertainty. Although the sample is small, their wide-ranging responses highlighted the key actions managers should always strive for, researchers Kristine Powers and Jessica Diaz wrote.

First and foremost, employees want a continuous flow of information about their job and the company. Then they want “psychological and instrumental” support and clear, fast and accurate communication. They also want motivational or vulnerable leadership styles — but some employees say nothing their manager does would ease their insecurity when things are particularly dire.

The results make sense, says Janice Burns, chief people officer at software firm Degreed wealth. In uncertain times, both within a given industry and for the wider economy, different employees want different things from work and seek different types of support – but all want to be able to trust their managers.

“Every relationship is built on trust, and communication is at the heart of it,” says Burns. “Communication is even more important when you’re in the middle of chaos.”

In moments of uncertainty or tragedy, it’s on leaders to instill a sense of calm in moments of uncertainty, Burns says. She suggests focusing on the “Four Cs”: “Clarity,” even as it says, “I have nothing else to share, but as soon as conditions change, I’ll tell you;” Consistency — Burns encourages leaders to maintain a “regular cadence” of conversations with team members; candor, which she calls “compassionate honesty”; and care. “We all need to feel cared for and included in the bigger picture,” she says.

In practice, this caring looks like being involved with vital information. Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) of employees asked for more information on specific pressing issues, such as the likelihood of layoffs, bosses’ plans for returning to office, and evolving benefit expectations.

Thirty-five percent of workers asked for general support, such as B. Affirmation about their employment and empathy for their health and safety and that of their families. And just over a quarter (26%) identified specific communication characteristics, such as frequency and consistency, that they felt would help reduce uncertainty.

To that end, MIT suggests managers schedule regular information-sharing meetings or send emails, even if there’s nothing new to share, just to reassure employees of the status quo. Predictability, they write, helps reduce uncertainty.

This is also true in today’s economy, where executives are becoming increasingly nervous about a looming recession and workers worry that they will be the next in a line of layoffs.

Burns not only drew on the Four C’s during the pandemic, but also when the company began a round of layoffs. “We were very clear about what we were doing, why it was happening and when it was over so people knew we were being as open as possible,” she says.

The effectiveness of each of these considerations depends on the confidence that comes from the confidence that an employee has in the integrity, diligence and competence of their manager.

Maintaining trust helps workers deal with uncertainty at times when managers may not otherwise be able to provide it. As the MIT researchers concluded, “Many of [the] The employee experience is based on the level of trust that managers build long before a crisis knocks.”

When leaders are open, honest, and approachable, employee retention improves significantly, says Burns: “Trust is like a bank, either you pay into it or you draw from it. Each interaction gives you an opportunity to make some type of transaction. The more you build, the more people will feel like they can count on you.”

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