Trust is essential to doing our best work, being satisfied in our jobs, and having good relationships with our coworkers. Recent research suggests that our mass shift to working from home during the pandemic has started to corrode our trust in our colleagues. Trust has been particularly difficult to establish among team members who have never met one another before, and even more so for people who entered the workforce or switched jobs during the pandemic.

While some of us will be going back into the office soon, others will not be going back at all, and most of us will only be there for two or three days a week. How can we build trust under these circumstances? How can we form more meaningful connections in this new era of work?

Research suggests that acknowledging other people’s emotions can strengthen social relationships at work. This simple act can help you form deeper connections with them. However, there are a few caveats to consider:

  • Acknowledging negative emotions boosts trust more than acknowledging positive emotions.
  • Acknowledging emotions boosts trust more than acknowledging the situation.
  • Not all acknowledgments work equally.  When seemingly motivated by selfish reasons it is not as effective because people assume that the act is done for personal benefit, rather than to help others. It may also be less effective in competitive settings, where people might question the intent of the acknowledger.

When we acknowledge emotions, we give people the safety and license to express themselves. During this time, talking about and sharing how we feel is vital for strengthening bonds, building interpersonal trust, and expediting collective recovery at work.


Reference:
Ascend—Harvard Business Review (2021, June 18) by Alisa Yu, Julian Zlatev, Justin Berg: What’s the Best Way to Build Trust at Work?