Inside Iowa State Oct. 27, 1995 EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: BUILDING TRUST IN RELATIONSHIPS Workplace relationships affect production in the office and workers' perceptions about the value of their tasks and contributions. Work relationships are affected by many things, including trust. Creating trust among co-workers involves acceptance, empathy, honesty, self-disclosure and effective communication. Here are some ways to create trust. Acceptance. Treat your co-workers with respect, by using acceptable language and tone, allowing them some choice in their tasks and responsibilities, and creating a climate that encourages exchanges of ideas and perceptions. Controlling behaviors inhibit people's movements, thoughts and communications. We cannot control others; we can only control ourselves and our responses to others. Empathy. Work to understand what might be influencing your co-workers' behavior in the workplace. This does not mean you must accept all behaviors. Rather, it means creating an opportunity to communicate more effectively about the elements affecting this work relationship. Honesty. Be consistent in communications and actions. Share both positive and negative perceptions. Self-disclosure. Some self-disclosure in the workplace is appropriate and some isn't. Limit self-disclosure to thoughts and feelings regarding a task, such as your ability to accomplish it within the given parameters or your perceptions about the resources and support you've been provided to complete the task. Revealing personal details of your life and the feelings you are experiencing is best reserved for family and friends. Communication. Use clear statements about your thoughts and feelings. Healthy, long-term work relationships develop from openness and improved communication. Creating trust is the responsibility of each person in a relationship. It is important to evaluate whether you trust your co-workers and whether you have created a trustworthy relationship with each of them. __________ University Relations Iowa State University