Employees can’t be trusted. They are just there to earn a paycheck and advance in their careers.
Trusting employees opens you up to being taken advantage of. They don’t care about your company or their jobs–it’s just a stop on their way to the next big thing. You may think they care about you, but they don’t.
There’s no such thing as loyalty anymore. Even my dog barely comes to me when I call him.
In this age of remote work and quiet quitting, employees only look out for themselves. Even if someone shows up to work every day, there’s no guarantee that they’ll put in the effort or do more than the bare minimum. A survey from Gallup found that quiet quitters make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce. That means that at least half of your employees are just there to put in the bare minimum and get paid. Those aren’t people you can trust!
And then there are the employees stealing from the company to put themselves ahead. More people than ever are working remotely while also starting side hustles. They aren’t dedicated to your company! They’re just using the paycheck to get by while they build their own side business–and often doing it while they’re on the clock for you!
Employees won’t be honest with you. They say whatever they think you want to hear and hide the truth from you. Half of employees have lied at work. You never know when they are lying to you.
So, can you trust anyone at work? Only the people who have earned it. Employees need to show you what they can do. It’s one thing to make promises in a job interview, but it’s another thing to get results at work.
Employees have to show you they care about the company, will do whatever you say as a leader without asking questions, and will put in the work. If employees start to question you or come up with their own ideas, they haven’t earned your trust.
You can’t blindly trust employees, or they will take advantage of you. Question everything. Make them prove what they are doing and how they are using their time.
It’s only after employees pass your tests and show that they are firmly loyal to you that they can earn their trust–for now.
Don’t waste your time trusting employees. You’ll only get burned by people taking advantage of you.
-The Outdated Leader
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Over the last 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking and working with some of the world’s top leaders. Here are 15 of the best leadership lessons that I learned from the CEOs of organizations like Netflix, Honeywell, Volvo, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others. I hope they inspire you and give you things you can try in your work and life. Get the PDF here.
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