I posed some questions in my previous post regarding trust in an organization – how much it matters and what are the benefits.  As I’ve read other articles and participated in conversations on this subject it would seem as though it matters.  A lot. 

There have been some surveys recently that show that trust is very low right now out  in the workplace and that this is a dangerous trend that HR leaders would be wise to pay attention to.  This article references some of the issues that arise in an environment that lacks trust. 

One interesting point that is mentioned is the lack of trust not only between management and employees but between co-workers as well.  I hadn’t considered the impact of this in my previous post but it seems as though this trend can be just as dangerous.  It appears as though some companies actively discourage trust between co-workers to avoid unionization, which can result from a group trusting each other but not their managers.  The result  is decreased productivity. 

To discourage trust means that personal relationships in the workplace barely exist.  I suppose logic would show that less time spent on personal conversation means more work gets done.  I can’t buy into this though because happy people work harder.  Don’t they? If you don’t trust the people you work with, you don’t talk to them much and I would imagine when you need a break, you are more likely to waste time surfing the net, sending personal emails or calling your friends that you do trust.  None of this helps your company in any way. 

Is 15 minutes of personal conversation by the water cooler really that detrimental in the long run?  Wouldn’t personal relationships at work create more of a team environment where people ultimately work more efficiently?  When there is trust with your co-workers, don’t you use that time to talk about work anyway?  I know I do.  I  have personal conversations with the people I work with and they always end up being work related.  The difference is we are not chatting to complain or avoid working but just want to touch base and catch up.  We usually end up brainstorming and problem solving.  We are always trying to help each other do a better job.  Maybe the important thing to consider when assessing the role trust plays with co-workers is not to calculate the time spent in personal conversations, but instead to focus on what those conversations are about.