University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Value of Trust
Article

The Value of Trust

A lack of trust can not only deal a blow to a company’s culture, but it can also negatively impact employee productivity, engagement and ultimately retention.

Susan Ladika
SHRM, 2021
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

One in three workers doesn’t trust his or her employer – and it translates into poor employee engagement, retention and productivity. A timely article in HR Magazine from writer Susan Ladika outlines trust-building practices and traits that leaders, managers and HR professionals can adopt. The article includes recommendations for monitoring remote workers with respect.

Summary

Trust is fundamental to a healthy, productive workplace.

Trust provides a solid foundation for a healthy workplace, driving employee engagement, and facilitating efficiency and productivity. Trust may also contribute to rapid decision-making and enhanced collaboration.

Liane Hornsey, executive vice president and chief people officer at the cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, calls trust a differentiator. Trust in an organization includes workers’ faith in their leaders, their team members and themselves.

Conversely, lack of trust can hamper productivity, engagement, retention, innovation, agility and resilience.

Lack of trust within an organization not only threatens engagement and productivity – it can also spur turnover and contribute to stress, burnout, low morale and higher health care costs.

In a low-trust environment, employees may cover up their...

About the Author

Susan Ladika is a freelance writer based in Tampa, Florida.

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