November 30th, 2009 by Marty Dickinson

If you want to dispel the anxiety growing in your workplace, build a foundation of trust built on communication. When times are tough, the workplace rumor mill swings into action act quickly. Therefore, managers need to communicate openly and honestly with employees to stop rumors in their tracks. Here are five tips to help managers ease employee anxiety.

1. Be Accessible

As a senior leader, you need to be accessible and visible to your employees. When there is a problem, don’t wait until all the details of the solution have been fleshed out before informing your workers. Instead, inform them of your progress along the way as the decisions are being made. In uncertain times, it is more important than ever to be accessible. You’re not just there to share information with the workforce, but to build trust with them along the way, and dispel rumors as they spring up.

2. Don’t Hide From Bad News

Your employees know that times are challenging and that the company will need to evolve in order to be successful, so you have no reason to keep bad news from your workforce. It will become even harder to communicate with a distrustful workforce if you try to imply that all is well when it obviously is not. Keeping your employees in the loop and informing them as soon as you know changes are necessary is the best antidote for workplace gossip. When a workforce has faith in their management, they will trust they will heard bad news from the source and stop spreading rumors amongst themselves.

3. Stress Face to Face Communication

All too often, leaders communicate bad news via e-mails and memos. All leaders are busy, but your first priority must be the productivity of your workforce. Research has shown that face-to-face or voice-to-voice conversations build up trust in a relationship and also improve the clarity of your message. You may find yourself stumped by a question that you didn’t expect, but don’t worry. Your people don’t expect you to be perfect, but they will appreciate the time you took to talk to them.

4. Hear Your Employees

The two-way conversation in face-to-face communication is a huge advantage. Many employees will be able to give you solid suggestions to resolve the challenges the company faces, but this is not the only advantage to listening to your workforce. The mere knowledge that senior management values their ideas and reactions to the situation enough to listen and speak with them can propel your employees to re-commit to the company and to you as a manager.

5. Admit You Don’t Have All the Answers Yet

It is important to be honest when talking to your employees, both about what you know and about what is still unknown. Because people understand that no-one can know everything, it will build conviction and understanding if you can detail what is still unclear. If you are unsure about the future, it is better to discuss the prospects for the company and probabilities for success rather than making promises that might not be kept.

Communication is the foundation of a good management team, and the only way you will get your employee’s best performance. Above all else, make it a priority to communicate truthfully, candidly, and without hesitation.

Wendy Mack is a professional mentor, trainer, and author focusing on leading and communicating change. Contact Wendy at, or get her free e-book, Transforming Anxiety into Energy at www.WendyMack.com.

business, career, change management, Leadership, Management, motivating employees, self improvement, team leading, workplace communication