Do you trust your employees? With a recent report from The Conference Board stating that only 45% of US employees are satisfied with their jobs, a number that has been steadily declining over the past 20 years, there is something bigger going on here, and it comes down to trust.

The human resources field at one point was focused on actually helping and developing employees, but over several decades has morphed into a risk management organization. HR is now about regulatory compliance and preventing employees from suing their employers. Given this dynamic, it is no surprise that employees have developed a negative view of the HR profession and by extension their companies.

I have to let HR off the hook here somewhat. They are not the villain in this story, but the unfortunate messenger of management and governmental regulatory dictates. While nothing can be done to radically change the way government regulates the workplace, there is something that management and corporate leaders can do starting right now. Start trusting your employees!

How do you actualize trusting employees? Here is your five step plan:

1. Let employees define their jobs. Most managers have little idea what their employees actually do on a day to day basis. Micro-management is not the answer. Instead, let employee identify the key skills they use to fulfill their tasks and goals. This should be your new job descriptions and the new criteria by which to base job performance.
2. Give employees the freedom to define their careers. That means performance reviews should be based on fair, transparent and measurable criteria. The key purpose of the performance review should be to guide employees in their career and should be tightly bound with career pathing and development. Managers need to support employee career decisions and give them a transparent path to reach the highest levels of the organization if they desire that path.
3. Separate the compliance functions from HR. Human resources should be focused on talent acquisition and development. Compliance is a legal function and that is where it should remain (and let’s admit it…no one likes lawyers anyway).
4. Develop real incentives for employees. Most employers scaled back heavily on these programs in many cases for good reasons (like needing to stay in business beyond 2009). However, as the economy recovers, the smart move is to build up creative incentives and implement more visible employee recognition programs.
5. Lastly, be honest with employees. If this recent recession taught us anything, holding back the truth can cause significant damage. Corporate values should be rewritten and honesty put in as the number one value. If you need to do layoffs or hold back bonuses or cut benefits, do not be coy about it. Explain the reasoning. Employees will appreciate the straight forward approach.

Obviously, you are free to ignore this advice, but you do so at your own risk. With some studies stating that job turnover could be well over 50% this year, the risk of losing good talent is high. If you start trusting your employees though, you are well on your way to being ahead of the competition and keeping your staff.