'Warmth' signals that help build workplace trust

TRUSTWORTHY traits in workplace leaders help build morale, motivation and collaboration within a team. When your manager trusts you at work, it can help boost your morale and make you feel more motivated because you feel confident in your abilities. It can also increase your collaboration with your team because you trust each other to accomplish tasks together with a common goal of helping the company succeed.

- SCOTT HUTCHESON

Managers who trust their employees to work independently and empower them to make their own decisions, help build their confidence. When employees can make their own decisions and try new ideas without worrying what management or coworkers will say, it fosters confident decision-making and innovative problem-solving.

As trust increases, workplace stress often decreases. On an individual level, working in an environment where everyone trusts each other helps lower blood pressure and ease anxiety, headaches and other stress-related conditions.

Having a supportive team can also help to eliminate fears and create an ability to address problems early on.

Intentional cues

Believe it or not, first impressions are biological. When meeting someone for the first time well before your CV or title is considered - your brain and body are sending and receiving subtle signals that influence trust. In today's workplaces where hybrid teams and digital interactions dominate, these signals matter more than ever.

The good news is that you can learn to send them more intentionally. The signals that trigger trust are not abstract - they're cues the human brain is wired to read quickly and deeply because in evolutionary terms, deciding whether someone was safe to approach was once a matter of survival.

This still holds true in the modern workplace. Whether you're joining a new team, pitching an idea to executives or building rapport with clients, the signals you send especially those of warmth create the foundation for influence.