For those of you who have ever walked out of a store due to a lack of sales help, the idea that retailers identify busy times and assign more staff during those times makes sense. In some cases, retailers are using similar technology in other ways. The article On the Clock: Are Retail Sales People Getting a Raw Deal? explores the controversial use of “a new computer scheduling system that assigns the busiest and most desirable hours to employees with the strongest sales numbers.” The article cautions that “Without consistent buy-in, technology-driven management tools will result in adversarial relationships across all staff levels.”

This sounds familiar. Performance management software implementations are most successful when they are based upon sound processes and supported with two-way communication and change management strategies. If employees mistrust the motives behind a performance management implementation, then the project will be at risk. Employees need to understand how they will benefit from a new technology. Trust lies at the root of user acceptance.

Certainly, during challenging economic times, companies will try new approaches to improve productivity. Technology can prove to be a valuable resource, but just as is the case for performance management software, trust cannot be undermined.

And “loyalty and trust are at an all-time low” writes Sylvia Ann Hewlett -- economist and president of the Center for Work-Life Policy -- in her Harvard Business Publishing blog . According to the results of The Center for Work-Life Policy study Sustaining High Performance in Difficult Times, “the number of employees who feel loyal to their company has fallen 42% over the last year, while the number who trust their company is down 41%.” The results of the study were published during the week of September 18th.

When we consider surveys like the Blessing White State of Employee Engagement 2008, we are reminded of the importance of the role management plays. The survey shows that “of the more than 7,500 workers who participated in the study, 75% trust their manager compared with just 60% who trust their organization’s senior leaders.” The role of building or re-building trust lies with management.

Just how can trust be maintained or re-built? The following example illustrates the need for respectful, open communication.

Clinton Korver – co-author of Ethics for the Real World – recommends in his Harvard Business Publishing blog “In tough times, going one better - treating others more honestly and openly than even they expect to be treated - builds the enduring relationships at the core of personal and business success.”

What is your organization doing to maintain trust?

References:

Blessing White. “Employees Trust Own Manager More Than C-Suite.” Press release [www.blessingwhite.com]. June 4, 2008.

Hewlett, Sylvia Ann. “How is Top Talent Dealing with Tough Times on Wall Street?” Harvard Business Publishing, [http://discussionleader.hbsp.com]. September 18, 2008.

Knowledge@Wharton Human Resources. “On the Clock: Are Retail Sales People Getting a Raw Deal?” [www. knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu]. October 1, 2008.

Korver, Clinton D. “Why Ethics Matter in a Downturn.” Harvard Business Publishing, [http://discussionleader.hbsp.com]. August 25, 2008.