Previously on RTWMatters, we've written about some of the tangible benefits of organisational trust.

• There is a correlation between the level of trust within an organisation and business outcomes including productivity, customer satisfaction and financial return. (Read more here.)
• Australian research shows that workers’ compensation claimants who are viewed with suspicion, and who don’t trust their employer to look after them, tend to feel dissatisfied with the system, and have poorer financial, social and health outcomes. (Read more here.)

Moreover, according to Professor Amy Lyman of the Great Places to Work Institute, trust enables:

• Effective communication;
• An ability to collaborate across departments and hierarchies;
• A willingness to seek fair solutions to difficult problems;
• Employee confidence in management vision;
• Higher levels of discretionary effort; and
• Lower staff turnover.

There are specific steps you can take in order to foster a culture of trust within an organisation at large, or an injury management system specifically. Below, we walk you through some dos and don’ts of trust.

DO be credible.

When a person is believable, competent and acts with integrity they gain credibility. Credible managers / RTW professionals:

• Share information broadly;
• Are accessible to employees;
• Are consistent;
• Answer hard questions;
• Engage in genuine dialogue, not top-down pronouncements;
• Are ethical; and
• Deliver on their promises.

Consider:

• Do you tell injured workers what their modified duties are going to be, or do you seek their input and come to a decision together?
• How much upfront information do you give new claimants about what they can expect of the compensation system—for example wage replacement step downs, where relevant?

DON’T be too nice.

In order to foster trust, you need to be willing to communicate honestly with people, even if what you say is going to disappoint them. Credibility is incompatible with being too nice.

A RTW Coordinator, for example, might hesitate to challenge the expectation of a claimant that work will pay for a particular aspect of his treatment, such as ongoing massages to help with back pain. This RTW Coordinator might save herself some conflict in the short term, but by refusing to be the bearer of bad tidings, she also damages perceptions of her own competence (“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about”) and trustworthiness (“She’ll say anything to shut you up”). Most likely, the reputation of the injury management system as a whole suffers.

When someone approaches you with a difficult question, the trust-enhancing option is to give them an honest reply, and then assist them to cope with the reality of the situation in which they find themselves.

Consider:

• How do you manage conversations in which you have to relay disappointing news?
• What do you do when you say “Yes” to a worker, but then your boss says “No” to you?

DO be respectful

According to the Great Places to Work Institute, employees who feel respected at work tend to say things like, “Management shows a sincere interest in me as a person, not just an employee.”

Respect grows when:

• Management listens to employees;
• Achievements are recognised and appreciated;
• Care is shown for people in difficult situations;
• There is support for professional growth; and
• Decision making is inclusive.

Consider:

• How do you react when someone at work suffers a personal setback?
• What do you do when someone complains about the trouble they’re having getting in contact with their claims’ manager at the insurer?

DON’T forget that injury and illness are difficult experiences

One of the key ways in which organisations show respect for employees is by demonstrating care and concern for those facing tough times. People who are hurt or sick often feel distressed about their situation; a respectful injury management systems is one that acknowledges this, and offers personal as well as practical support.

Consider:

• Who in your organisation calls injured workers to ask how they’re going? Who sends a “Get Well” card to those who are off work?
• How do supervisors in your workplace behave during the first five minutes following a workplace injury? How do they balance concern for workers’ wellbeing with concerns about productivity and their own performance targets?

DO be fair

Regardless of position and personal characteristics, a trusting and trustworthy organisation demonstrates fairness in terms of pay and benefits, career development opportunities and the resolution of problems and concerns.

In an injury management system, this might involve offering workers the same degree of accommodation and support in the workplace, regardless of whether they are perceived to be troublemakers or troopers.

• How do you treat workers you don’t particularly get along with? Is this differently from the way you treat workers you like a lot?
• How do you treat someone who has lodged a stress claim? Or made a complaint about discrimination?

DON’T be modest

Acknowledging successes and articulating a shared vision feeds trust. People who take pride in what they do—and who have good reason to expect that others will notice and appreciate their hard work—tend to be more trusting and trustworthy.

Consider:

• Who in your workplace knows about RTW success stories?
• How do you recognise line managers who provide good support for injured workers?

DO promote camaraderie

People who like each other tend to be more trusting. While you can’t make your workers drink from the fountain of friendship you can, so the old saying goes, lead them to water!

Collaborative projects, brain storming sessions, sociable health and wellbeing activities and cooperative problem solving are all ways to foster camaraderie in the workplace

Consider:

• Is there a health and wellbeing activity—for example, lunchtime yoga sessions, an office Ultimate Frisbee team, or group quit smoking sessions—that might encourage people in your workplace to mix and mingle?
• Do you have a buddy system for RTW? Are you utilising the knowledge and support of those who have had a successful RTW, to assist those who may be struggling?

Finally, DO be trusting

There's no advantage to be gained from being credulous, but being trusting is another story. Like breeds like: the more trust you give out, the more you're likely to attract in return.