There are many aspects of a talented team that contribute to a team’s success. They include excellent communication, coordination toward a shared vision, and common goals. At the top of the list is trust. It is a principal component necessary for any organization to function properly and achieve its goals. (1)
Employees need to feel comfortable sharing information and ideas, and be assured that their fellow employees will not engage in counterproductive behaviors, such as critical feedback, idea hijacking, or side-taking. Trust helps teams hold each other accountable and strengthens relationships. As team members learn they can count on each other, they will be more likely to fulfill their commitments and follow through on their promises.
Trust Strengthens Friendship
Trust is especially vital to teams, especially those where face-to-face interactions are limited. Without frequent face-to-face interactions and trust, it can be hard for both individuals and teams to build relationships and communicate effectively. (2)
But there’s more. Studies have found that trust is not only essential because it strengthens friendships, but also that trusting relationships can positively impact negotiations. Negotiators have reported that deception is more likely to occur when there is a low level of trust. Conversely, when there was a higher degree of confidence, there was a lower level of deception, and that’s good news for organizations. (3)
Trust Lowers Costs
Building trust in the buyer-seller relationship is a central focus of relationship marketing. There are mixed results concerning the performance outcomes of trust (4), but it is safe to say that where there is a high degree of distrust in organizations, they will structure themselves as if they cannot trust anyone. The lack of trust will lead to increased transaction costs. Therefore, higher degrees of trust result in increased profits.
Additionally, studies have shown that trust between organizations and their employees is essential for an organization to function optimally. If not, the organization will face increased employee turnover, higher costs, and greater risks.
People who are quietly quitting leave their jobs at a higher-than-usual rate, choosing to run towards environments where they can feel safe, valued, and more empowered to make choices. Employers who fail to prioritize trust and transparency struggle to retain talent, resulting in higher costs.
A lack of employee trust also affects productivity. Employees with low morale and a lack of confidence in their employer may experience increased stress and a decline in motivation, which can dramatically impact their productivity and that of the wider business.
When employees are trusted, they are empowered to succeed. This means employees enjoy a culture of honesty and a sense of belonging. A company culture built on trust makes employees feel more secure in their jobs, which can help reduce turnover and the associated costs. Additionally, employees will feel more comfortable raising concerns because they have confidence and trust that the company will address their problems and are assured of protection from retaliation. Employee interaction and feedback protect the organization from risks and the high costs associated with them. (5)
| Trusted organizations are 8x more resilient, 7x more likely to command a premium price, and 6x more likely to benefit from consumer loyalty. (6) |
What Employees Require to Build Trust in an Organization
- Social Responsibility – Edelman’s Trust Barometer’s 2022 Special Report on Trust in the Workplace (7) found that companies and CEOs that are most trusted can impact change on global issues. These organizations and the people who oversee them are known as societal leaders. According to the special report, employees view their employer as the stronghold of truth and consider the workplace necessary for civility and community. Employees want to address societal problems in the workplace and strengthen their job (and employers) to be effective in society. They expect their employer to model the behavior they most desire (e.g., truth, taking a stand civilly, acting when needed, celebrating, and recognizing employees, etc.). They believe that trust begins within the workplace and extends from there into the broader global picture.
- Authentic Culture – Employees want the organizations they work for, their leaders, and coworkers to be open-minded and see each worker as an individual rather than just a body filling a seat, doing a specific, needed role with assigned responsibilities. They want to be heard, seen, and known for the work they do, to be meaningful, as well as for their contributions (whether as an individual or employee) to have an impact in both small and larger ways. Employees view trust as a common culture or set of standards, behaviors, and attitudes that the organization and its people share as a transparent and universal system, driving the work they do and why they do it.
- Listening and Learning – Listening is a crucial learning style. It requires everyone, from the top down, to create a culture that is open to new opinions, ideas, resources, beliefs, and ways of thinking. Being intentional about listening and learning from others with different perspectives and experiences can have an immediate impact within the company. It can have a societal impact, depending on the ideas developed. Employees need their coworkers to set aside judgments, preconceptions, past learning, or beliefs shared with others to be objective. Trust between employees and the organization requires focus, thoughtful communication, respect, empathy, mindfulness, and intentional actions that reflect active listening (e.g., asking questions, using recall or repetition, considering the other’s perspective, expressing support, etc.).
- Having a Voice and Taking Action – Taking action is another area that helps build a strong and trusting corporate culture. It also encourages everyone to help by educating them about issues or causes, raising awareness for causes that matter most to them, and taking a stand when needed. When employees use their voice, whether in a big or small way, to help others, themselves, issues, or causes, they can influence others to advance an issue or cause that they care about. When a corporation uses its voice, the positive impacts are amplified. Employees build trust by being encouraged to raise awareness, ask for assistance, and love seeing leaders, coworkers, and organizations who not only hear but also take action. Whether it’s a need they have personally, a team issue that needs resolution, or a global problem that needs attention, employees want to know employers have their backs.
Measuring Trust
For an organization to measure trust within its company, leadership will need to ask questions that address specific points concerning employees’ advocacy, commitment, loyalty, and motivation. A survey distributed to the employees would be an excellent way to gather the data necessary to measure trust in the organization. Some relevant questions you might want to begin with are:
- Would the employee recommend the products or services that the organization sells to others?
- Would the employee recommend working in the organization?
- Does the employee support the company’s social initiatives?
- Does the employee offer suggestions for improving products or services?
- Would the employee agree that innovative ideas are welcome?
- Would the employee agree that exchanges are respectful even if there is a debate?
- Does the employee feel heard? Valued? Respected? Appreciated?
- Does the employee have individual/personal and unique goals that the organization is working toward helping them achieve?
- Would the employee continue to work at the organization for several years?
- Does the employee feel motivated to perform their best?
- Is the employee invested in their job/coworkers/organization to do more than what may be expected to help themselves and others succeed?
Additionally, consider questions that look at the employee and their relationship to the workplace as a community by asking:
- Does the employee feel that the organization addresses issues important to the local community where the organization exists or works?
- When the organization discusses global societal matters, do employees and/or their leaders do so with the proper knowledge, expertise, and other relevant factors?
- Does the employee feel that the organization and/or its leaders engage directly with employees experiencing concerns or societal issues? Does the employee feel that the organization makes issues personal for employees, asks for their input, and acts based on that feedback?
- Is the employee allowed to share a common purpose with peers, coworkers, and colleagues?
- Does the employee feel that the organization, specifically individual leaders and managers, shows employees the outcome(s) of actions taken? Or that employees are regularly provided updates on progress made toward necessary measures?
As the data from the survey is gathered and analyzed, the above questions should be answered with “absolutely or “very much” but elaborated on to understand better how the employee feels about the organization and the leadership. Questions that are answered with “a little, somewhat,” or a definite “not at all” indicate that there may be a trust issue, a communication problem or something further that needs to be investigated through further feedback or one-on-one conversations. Communication, trust, and effectiveness work together.
In today’s workplace, workers seek social stewardship and authentic corporate cultures that prioritize employee well-being and a better world. Employees are essential for organizational growth, but trust is the mortar that keeps your organization standing.
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SOURCE:
- https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/46064/Gibbons_Friendship_ASQ_2004.pdf.pdf?sequence=1
- https://www.makingbusinessmatter.co.uk/why-is-trust-important-in-teams/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20Benefits%20of%20Trust%20in%20the,6%20Enhanced%20Collaboration%20…%207%20Increased%20Creativity%20
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-008-9774-4
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0019850117301372
- https://vaultplatform.com/rebuilding-trust/
- https://www.edelman.com/trust/edelman-trust-management
- https://www.edelman.com/trust/2022-trust-barometer/special-report-trust-workplace
This article was last updated on June 12, 2025
