I n today's global economy, business leaders can't promise much to employees. If businesses believe they reap greater profits from a lean, mean, and easily disposable Joanne Ciulla workforce, they also have to deal with a loss of trust and goodwill. They breed cynicism. If you want to improve employees, teach them something substantive. The new social compact must be based on respect, honesty, and trust.
People gain respect by sharing information and telling the truth.
Since employers and workers are both subject to the whims of the market, shared information helps each side look after their own interests. Yet if you ask anyone who has worked in a company that downsized, they will tell you that the everyone knew about layoffs long before they were announced. There have always been employees who have inflated or false ideas about the value of their contributions. These lies are sometimes fed by managers who are too lazy or cowardly to give them honest assessments of their work performance. When you respect someone, you not only feel that you owe them the truth but that they are capable of handling the truth.