And how to deal with them
There is a lot of talk about trust these days.
The erosion of trust consumers have in organizations and businesses. The importance of the trust employees have for their company and its leaders.
But equally important is the trust workers have in each other.
What do you do with an untrustworthy employee?
Are they worth saving?
- You could fire the employee
- But do they add value in the organization? Do they have good relationships with peers and other managers?
- If so, the issue may be situational and something that can be remedied
Work to save them, prepare to fire them
The following steps are an attempt to inspire change in the employee and an improvement in the situation.
However, this will also serve as the groundwork for terminating them if they can’t or won’t alter their behavior.
Work with your talent team from the beginning to ensure company procedures are followed.
Understand the causes
- Perhaps the employee feels threatened in some way, or mistrusts their immediate boss
- Maybe they are resisting organizational change, frustrated with their career progress, or has been misinformed about a situation at work
- What looks like untrustworthiness might be a symptom of a deeper conflict
Be authentic and transparent
- There should be candor and clarity in conversations with the employee
- Be explicit about their problem behaviors, and be open to their questions and responses
- As a leader be prepared to help resolve the situation, and perhaps shoulder some responsibility about what is going on
Support the good, note the consequences
- Identify and reward the positive parts of the employee’s behavior. If they feel isolated and demonized they aren’t likely to change their thinking or their actions
- With the carrot should come the stick, however gently. Make sure they understand what can happen if they don’t make the needed changes
Act swiftly if necessary
- You have an entire team impacted by the seemingly untrustworthy behavior of one employee; the team will no doubt support your efforts to improve things
- But morale will plummet if those improvements never come and you allow the problem employee to remain
- And if the problem employee has direct reports, they’ll probably be walking out the door very soon
Bottom line
- Don’t let the situation with an untrustworthy employee continue
- Accept that things need to change, one way or another, and proceed with professionalism and intention
- Be honest and transparent at all times
- Don’t make any promises you can’t keep
- In the end you have a team to lead and a business to run, so be prepared to cut your losses and move forward