How to Build Trust (Even When Remote)

The workplace has changed for good… or at least, permanently. Trust still requires the same three elements it always has, but how do you convey those remotely? Here’s how.

“Our leadership team is floundering,” the woman told me over a video call. “We’re hybrid right now — everyone works part-time in the office and part-time at home. But even though we’re not fully remote anymore, our leaders are struggling to connect and communicate with their teams in this new, unfamiliar environment.”

The environment may be new, but effective leadership hasn’t changed. You still need to give clarity and direction, provide connection, and build trust. But how, when you can’t get together face-to-face? or you no longer have those chance informal encounters in the hall? or when all you see of the other person is a little square on your screen? How do you build trust?

Thankfully, as I’ve written before, the three components of trust have been abundantly studied and are well-understood. You build trust by demonstrating credibility (do you know what you’re doing?), authenticity (are you a real person?), and empathy (do you care about me?). Just like you always have. So, the good news is that you don’t need to learn new skills for a hybrid or remote environment, you simply need to apply them in a new context.