Industry Vet Extols Virtues of Trust as Employee-Performance Booster

 In an article in Employee Benefits magazine, insurance industry veteran Gary Taffet, who works with Reliance Insurance Group, explains that employee performance and well being rests primarily in a sense of trust. According to Taffet, employees and their employers cannot work together optimally without mutual trust. And that trust is further broken down into basic qualities that can be consistently strengthened between companies and their workers.

First and foremost, feeling connected and a sense of belonging allows employees to feel like a worthwhile part of the organization thus allowing trust to grow. That sense of connectivity is given by allowing each employee to share their opinions and weigh in during decision making processes. Employees that feel like their opinions are respected perform better and are happier with their jobs.

Treating all employees with equal fairness also helps foster trust, says the article, in that it provides a sense of certainty and security to everyone. That confidence in how they will be treated also boosts job satisfaction over employees who work in an unpredictable atmosphere with questionable job security. Those employees receiving the most challenging work and, in turn, a stronger sense of purpose, more clearly see the results of their labors and can better see the tangible results of their work, thus boosting morale and the desire to produce.

“This is one of the reasons why quality employee benefits packages are so vital to a company’s success,” Gary Taffet said. “Not just to the employees receiving the benefits, but to the company giving them out. The more appreciated employees feel, the more they know they can count on their employers, the more motivated they are to help those employers succeed. It’s no surprise that companies with the happiest and most well cared for employees are also the companies that see the most success.”