If you're having trouble trusting your boss right now, you're not alone.

A lot of managers have returned to their pre-Covid state: less visible and interactive than they were in 2020 and 2021, says Ben Granger, chief workplace psychologist and head of employee experience advisory services at Qualtrics.

Gone are the days of seeing managers in their homes on virtual meetings, bonding over shared pandemic experiences and chatting about families and lifestyles, he says.

"People got that champagne taste of communication. They had all that exposure to senior leadership and then that got scaled back," Granger tells CNBC Make It. "So that decrease of communication could lead to different perceptions of, 'Maybe I don't feel as intimate of a relationship with that [manager] or that leadership group that I used to.'"

Sixty-seven percent of employees trusted and had confidence in their boss to make sound business decisions in May 2020, according to Qualtrics' Global Resilience Survey. That number has since dwindled, Granger says.

Add on the waves of layoffs that occurred after the pandemic — some of which took place abruptly over email or Slack — and employees feel more stressed and less trusting than ever, says Granger.

The result: Bosses may find it difficult to effectively lead their organizations, and workers could quiet quit — or actually go.

How to improve workplace relationships

To change this dynamic, bosses need to prioritize three "ingredients," says Granger: competence, integrity and benevolence.

"When people detect those three things, they are far more likely to trust [their boss]," he says, adding: "Sometimes, you mess up a little bit and slip up, but if you've demonstrated that you care about the other person ... people will give you grace."

Employees want to work for someone with "good values, [who is] consistent to those values, and is looking out for the [best] interest of other people," Granger notes.

Communication, listening and collaboration skills matter, too — for both bosses and employees. People with those skills can strengthen their workplace relationships, build trust and help foster a culture that people want to be part of, according to workplace culture expert Tom Gimbel.

"The more authentic you are, the more people are going to connect with you and enjoy your company," Gimbel, the CEO of Chicago-based employment agency LaSalle Network, told Make It in April.

Try having informal meetings with your boss or manager every once in a while, recommend Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins, co-CEOs of architecture firm Gensler.

"Many of Gensler's younger employees will find 15 minutes on my calendar just to grab coffee and talk, whether it's about work or life outside of work, our hobbies and interests," Hoskins told Make It in February. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy those conversations."

"In these kinds of conversations, most bosses are thinking, 'What I can offer or say to help this person unlock some of their thinking about their careers, or try something new?'" she added. "These conversations can end up being really meaningful and productive."

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