The Real Reason People Are Quitting Jobs is A Failure of Trust

It’s the same reason that destroys any relationship

Years ago, before email, I worked for a boss who was thrilled when he walked by my desk and saw me busy opening envelopes.

He was oblivious that I was doing unproductive, mind-numbing work that could be done by someone else for less than half my salary.

I was a whirlwind of activity. I was busy! He was happy.

That’s the way it is when you work for someone who thinks like a factory owner. He sees you as a person to be used. Since he is taking advantage of you, he assumes that you will take advantage of him the second he turns his back.

It may help to fully grasp how detrimental this is when you think of the reverse situation. Do you remember a teacher who believed in you when no one else did? How did that change your image of yourself? How did that the kind of work you did in that teacher’s class and what kind of work you did in your life?

Trusting another person is about taking a risk. It’s about supporting someone you value even though that person may sometimes fail.

Do you believe me or not? Do you believe in me or not?

These are the questions that make the difference between whether you reach deep down inside yourself for your best effort or you punch a clock and do the minimum.

It’s damn hard to produce for someone who doesn’t trust you.

Forcing people to work in plain sight all the time to prove their worth is a failure of trust.

But the person who believes in you? You don’t want to disappoint them.

Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work, has surveyed millions of people. His company selects the Fortune Best Places to Work based on these surveys.

What did those surveys show is the one quality those places have in common? Trust.

The crowning example was about an employee who requested a computer. She had to go through fifteen layers of approval before getting one. The time of the approval process was more costly than the computer and reflected a serious trust issue.

Trusted employees are happy. This is not a touchy-feely metric. According to Bush’s research, organizations where most employees are happy enjoy three times more revenue growth than organizations where the employees are unhappy.

The Bottom Line

You make more money with happy employees; you don’t have to spend more money because what makes people happy and successful isn’t money. If you don’t believe that the relationship is important, you will lose people to someone who does, just like all of life.