“Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace” by Minda Harts

c.2025,

Flatiron Books                                     

$27.99                                         

240 pages

Raise? What raise?

Your employees have been hinting for a few weeks now that they’d like a little more in their paycheck, and you can surely understand their wishes. You also wish they knew that now’s not the time for it. And so, you avoid all conversations about money and hope there’s no turnover because you can’t afford that, but read “Talk to Me Nice” by Minda Harts, and you’ll know what to say and how to say it.

Five years ago, Minda Harts had what was, to her, a dream job. She was autonomous, the only East Coast employee of a West Coast firm, taking care of her career and any clients who might visit the Big Apple. Harts knew she was trusted; her employers wholeheartedly indicated it, but they didn’t tell her much else, and when she asked to take her career to the next level with better wages or a promotion, they gave her a big fat sort-of-maybe.

She was only looking for what she felt she was due. They glossed over her concerns.

And she turned in her resignation.

So what can you offer if you can’t pony up more moola or a corner office?

Trust, says Harts. Pure and simple, employees want trust. And the way to gain their trust is to use “the seven workplace trust languages.”

Especially if you’ve got Black or LGBTQ employees, they want your sensitivity to the unique issues they face at work. Speaking to them with as much transparency as possible goes a long way in good times and bad. Security helps your employees feel safe on the job, both physically and mentally. Act, don’t just talk, to demonstrate your words. Be willing to give positive and kindly negative feedback regularly. Offer acknowledgment for a job well done, a work-iversary, or a challenging task completed. Finally, follow through to ensure your employees feel confident that you’re on this.

And then, says Harts, “watch trust grow!”

This should feel pretty commonsensical, shouldn’t it?  Yes, but author Minda Harts suggests massively that it’s not, and that businesses from the top down need to relearn how to put trust back into the workplace. In “Talk to Me Nice,” she explains how.

Never mind the kerfuffle about DEI, the fact is that today’s workplaces can still be quite diverse, and that plays a significant role in this book as Harts shows why trust is key for happy employees and healthy retention, and how it matters in every kind of workplace. Though her stories are a bit scattershot, they’re all-encompassing, and she uses real-life examples to show trust-making in action and what happens if it’s lacking. That can be helpful and cautionary, and the relevance built into those tales is something readers will greatly appreciate.

This book is excellent for C-Suiters, managers, and supervisors but also suitable for an up-and-coming company star. Read “Talk to Me Nice” and prepare to raise the roof.