Building workplace trust is the foundation of every high-performing team. When trust exists, people support each other, respect differences, and work with a shared purpose. Without it, teams struggle with miscommunication, disengagement, and a lack of accountability.
While many leaders focus on KPIs and targets, trust is the invisible force that drives results. When you create a culture of trust, performance naturally improves, teams collaborate more effectively, and business goals are consistently exceeded.
But how do you go about building workplace trust? Here are some essential steps to get started.
Why you should prioritise trust in the workplace
Before jumping into strategies, it’s worth understanding why trust is so crucial. Thought leaders like Simon Sinek emphasise that trust is not a perk – it’s a necessity. It’s what separates high-functioning teams from those that struggle with morale, retention, and productivity.
Article contents
1. Review your workplace trust
2. Recognise threats to trust in the workplace
3. Understand that trust is a feeling
4. Acknowledge the power of workplace trust
5. Identify what trust in employees looks like
6. Appreciate how to build trust in the workplace
7. Nurture trust by being a coach, not a fixer
8. Build trust by asking the right questions
9. Reinforce trust by responding constructively
10. Know that promises influence workplace trust
11. Treat everyone fairly to preserve workplace trust
12. Uphold trust by mastering empathy
“Managers will never learn the truth about a company unless they have employees’ trust,”
Jim Dougherty, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management
1. Review workplace trust
Before you can improve trust, you need to understand where your team stands today. Conducting a trust audit can help identify gaps and opportunities for growth.
A diagnosis of trust and confidence in the workplace will reveal where the problems are, which tells you what needs to change.
There are many ways to assess the current level of workplace trust.
It might be as simple as walking into an office where people are hunkered down, managers are walled off and there’s an obvious atmosphere of discomfort.
Fortunately the situation is rarely this severe, so you’ll need a more subtle way of discovering what level of trust exists.
I find that as workplace trust is a core ingredient of culture, you can gain knowledge by just asking people what it feels like to do their job.
Building workplace trust takes time, intention, and consistency. It starts with reviewing your current culture, understanding where trust gaps exist, and taking action to foster openness, communication, and collaboration.
Trust isn’t just a feel-good factor—it’s a business imperative. If you want to create a workplace where people perform at their best, start by making trust a priority.
How to review workplace trust
- Ask your staff to complete our free Culture Gap survey to understand their daily experience. Questions can be tailored to your need – get in touch now to find out more
- Ask your managers to provide records of how often people ask for help, and for which tasks
- Observe whether your staff socialise together, both in and out of the workplace
- Look at your internal comms metrics to see if people read, share and contribute to internal messaging
- Include questions surrounding trust in an employee engagement survey: e.g. On a scale of 1-10 how much do you trust your manager?
2. Recognise threats to trust in the workplace
Building workplace trust isn’t just about encouraging collaboration—it’s about removing the barriers that actively erode trust within teams.
Many traditional workplace practices unintentionally damage trust, creating environments where employees feel undervalued, micromanaged, or even fearful of making mistakes. Without trust, there is no loyalty, and without loyalty, businesses face high turnover, disengagement, and poor performance.
A study of 7,000 executives, managers, and employees found that 32% of a person’s desire to stay in a company is directly linked to how much they trust their boss. And with the CIPD estimating the cost of replacing an employee at £12,500, the financial impact of low trust is undeniable.
So, what are the biggest threats to workplace trust, and how can leaders address them?
How to recognise threats to workplace trust
- Rigid, Compliance-First Policies – Are company rules prioritising strict enforcement over employee wellbeing? Policies that treat employees with suspicion rather than support erode trust.
- Lack of Leadership Accountability – Do managers communicate with clarity, empathy, and transparency? Or do they contribute to conflict, confusion, and disengagement?
- Fear-Driven Performance Reviews – Are appraisals designed to develop employees or to compete them against one another? Evaluations should motivate, not intimidate.
- Blame Culture vs. Growth Culture – Are underperforming employees supported in improving, or is failure punished without guidance? How managers handle mistakes can make or break trust.
Turning threats to opportunities for workplace trust
- Review company policies – Do they empower employees or create unnecessary restrictions? Ensure rules support rather than control.
- Hold leadership accountable – Train managers to lead with trust, not authority. Open, transparent leadership builds stronger teams.
- Improve feedback systems – Performance reviews should be constructive, not competitive. Focus on growth, coaching, and development.
- Encourage responsibility over blame – When challenges arise, collaborate on solutions rather than assigning fault. Trust thrives in a culture of learning, not fear.
3. Understand that trust is a feeling
Building workplace trust isn’t about policies or processes—it’s about how people feel at work.
Trust isn’t something that can be mandated. You can’t tell employees to trust their leaders or colleagues any more than you can tell them to be happy at work. Instead, trust is earned through consistent actions, genuine connection, and positive workplace experiences.
Many leaders are uncomfortable discussing emotions in the workplace. But if you want to improve trust, you must be willing to engage in conversations about how people feel in their roles, their teams, and the organisation as a whole.
As leadership expert Simon Sinek explains, trust is an environmental factor—it’s shaped by how employees feel about their workplace and the people they interact with daily. If you want to create a culture of trust, you need to acknowledge and actively shape those feelings.
How to talk about workplace trust
- Saying “you have to trust me” doesn’t work. Trust must be built through actions, not demands. Instead of telling employees to trust leadership, demonstrate consistency, transparency, and fairness in decision-making.
- Publicly acknowledge individual and team contributions that strengthen trust. Whether it’s a team consistently delivering on commitments or an employee going the extra mile to support a colleague, recognition reinforces positive behaviours.
- Take the time to connect with employees on their experiences. Understanding their challenges, motivations, and needs builds mutual respect and helps leaders make more informed, trust-driven decisions.
- Words matter. Leaders who regularly use terms like “trust,” “belonging,” and “support” help shape a workplace culture where employees feel psychologically safe. Emotional intelligence in leadership creates a sense of community and inclusion.
- Understanding yourself is the first step to understanding others. Tools like Insights Discovery help leaders and teams explore different perspectives, improving communication, empathy, and ultimately, workplace trust.
4. Acknowledge the power of workplace trust
It’s simple—happy employees are more productive. And one of the biggest drivers of happiness at work? Trust.
I founded Culturev8te after a lightbulb moment. Looking back on 20+ years in Human Resources, one thing stood out: people who feel trusted deliver better results. They’re more engaged, seek out more opportunities, and work harder and smarter—not because they have to, but because they want to.
But you don’t have to take my word for it.
There are many, many studies that prove a strong link between the level of workplace trust that people experience and their performance, and trust is one of the core ingredients to people feeling happy at work.
In just one example from the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organisation, a study using a UK-wide survey demonstrated a positive relationship between the average level of trust in managers and an employee’s financial performance, productivity and quality of work.
How to champion the power of trust in the workplace
- Explain that trust leads to high engagement, which has been proven to increase turnover by more than 20%
- Point out people who work in a culture of workplace trust experience 74% less stress and are 50% more productive
- Tell them that lack of trust in leaders is the biggest impact on work performance for 45% of people
- Show them research that states trust in leadership is the most significant influence on staff happiness
Trust is an “evolving thing that ebbs and flows,”
David DeSteno, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University and the author of The Truth About Trust.
5. What trust in employees really looks like
Trust is a feeling, not a policy—which makes defining it in the workplace more challenging. How do you know when trust is truly embedded in your culture? What does it look like in action?
A simple but powerful way to understand building workplace trust is by looking at real-world examples, like in the video below.
In high-trust environments, leaders don’t micromanage. There’s no hovering, second-guessing, or endless approval chains. Instead, employees feel empowered to take ownership, make decisions, and get things done without constant oversight.
How to define success in building workplace trust
- What if leadership wasn’t there? – If managers stepped away for a week, would work continue seamlessly? If not, what’s missing
- What support do employees actually need? – What tools, training, or empowerment would help them work effectively without constant oversight
- What’s blocking great work? – What obstacles prevent employees from producing work they’re proud of, and how can they be removed?
- At Culturev8te, we’ve developed an 8-Step Programme to help businesses define what success looks like in their unique culture and build the trust necessary to drive performance, engagement, and growth.
6. Appreciate how to build trust in the workplace
Building workplace trust isn’t a one-time initiative—it requires consistent effort, commitment, and action. Once you’ve removed negative influences, gained buy-in, and defined what trust should look like, the real work begins.
Trust isn’t built through policies—it’s built through behaviours. Every decision, interaction, and leadership approach should be designed around your people, their experiences, and their aspirations.
In a TED Talk, Ben Hempstead explains how his company builds trust by fostering a safe environment where employees feel comfortable seeking help and input. This is key—trust grows when people feel supported, not judged.
How to build trust in the workplace
- Communicate with Clarity – Ambiguity erodes trust. Be transparent, even when delivering difficult messages.
- Lead with Compassion – Support leaders in making decisions with integrity rather than opting for the easiest answer.
- Create Consistency – Trust thrives in stability. Ensure that policies, leadership approaches, and expectations are applied fairly across the organisation.
- Model Competence and Commitment – Employees trust leaders who walk the talk. Make sure your actions align with the expectations you set for others.
- Invest in Leadership Development – Equip leaders with the skills and confidence to challenge behaviours that don’t align with company values and actively develop a culture of trust.
7. Nurture workplace trust by being a coach, not a fixer
Trust isn’t built by solving problems for people—it’s built by helping them solve problems for themselves.
Have you heard this expression? “Give someone a fish and they’ll eat for a day. Teach them to fish and they’ll feed themselves for life”.
Sometimes the old lessons are the best. If you want to nurture workplace trust, you and your leaders must shift from being fixers to coaches—guiding, supporting, and empowering employees to develop their own solutions.
Why does this matter?
A study of the UK’s Workplace and Employee Relations Survey found that restricting access to training damages workplace trust even more than freezing or cutting wages. When employees feel like they aren’t being developed, trust erodes.
How to nurture workplace trust by being a better coach
- Ask first, don’t assume – Start every conversation with “How can I help?” rather than jumping in with solutions.
- Support actions, don’t dictate them – Let employees learn by doing, rather than just following instructions.
- Treat people like equals – Instead of giving orders, ask them to explore and propose their own solutions.
- Focus on solutions, not just problems – Be clear with expectations and model a problem-solving mindset.
- Turn obstacles into growth opportunities – Show that mistakes are part of learning. When handled correctly, calculated risks build both confidence and trust.
8. Build workplace trust by asking the right questions
Small talk won’t solve big problems. If you want to build workplace trust, you need to ask the right questions—the kind that show employees they are valued, respected, and heard.
Employees don’t disengage because they lack ability—they disengage because they don’t feel listened to. Research shows that when leaders take the time to ask meaningful, specific questions, employees feel a stronger sense of belonging, purpose, and trust in the workplace.
In one of his talks, Simon Sinek shared a story about an employee who loved his job—not because of the work itself, but because of the questions his manager asked. Those questions made him feel seen, supported, and empowered.
How to ask the questions that build workplace trust
- Stop asking: “How are things going?” – It’s vague and doesn’t encourage people to open up.
- Start asking: “What’s been getting in your way recently?” – This creates space for real, honest feedback.
- Avoid generic check-ins. – Questions should invite discussion, not just be a box-ticking exercise.
- Ask about specific experiences. – “Tell me how you felt returning from maternity.” “What’s something that would make your job easier?”
- Don’t ask questions if you’re too busy to listen. – Trust is broken when employees feel their concerns are dismissed.
- Reframe and dig deeper. – If the first answer is surface-level, ask a follow-up: “Can you tell me more about that?”
9. Reinforce trust by responding constructively
Building workplace trust isn’t just about asking for feedback—it’s about how you respond when employees open up.
More than 50% of employees feel their leaders don’t respond constructively to their concerns. Yet, studies show that when managers do respond positively, employees are 12 times more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work.
When leaders become defensive, dismissive, or argumentative, trust is broken instantly. Employees stop speaking up, engagement drops, and performance suffers. The key? Don’t take feedback personally—take it as an opportunity for growth.
In a TED Talk, actor Frederik Imbo shares how he became a referee to learn how not to take things personally. His lesson? Constructive responses create connection. Defensive reactions create distance.
How to reinforce workplace trust by being constructive
- At the very least, begin by saying: “Thank you for sharing that with me”.
- Stop yourself from interrupting or arguing, as this makes people unlikely to share their problems. with you in the future.
- Focus on asking questions that engage with the future, rather than the past: “How can we make this situation better?”
- Consider our Insights Discovery leadership programme. It helps improve awareness of how best to respond to your people by understanding their individual needs.
10. Know that promises influence workplace trust
Trust isn’t built on words—it’s built on actions.
One of the fastest ways to establish workplace trust is to follow through on your promises. When leaders consistently deliver on what they say, employees feel secure, valued, and confident in their leadership.
But there’s another side to this: making promises you can’t keep is one of the quickest ways to lose trust. Saying what people want to hear in the moment may seem harmless, but when expectations aren’t met, disengagement follows.
Being honest about what’s possible is just as important as delivering on commitments. Leaders must be clear about their true capacity for change and manage expectations with transparency and integrity.
A video from Front Line Leadership highlights how making and breaking promises impacts workplace trust—and how to prevent setting unrealistic expectations.
How to create trust by promising what you can deliver
- Be clear about what has already been decided, and don’t ask for input if changes aren’t possible.
- Be honest with yourself about the scale of your impact and be honest with others about what impact you might have.
- Build processes that enable you to keep track of what you’ve committed to and who with.
- If you did your best but still can’t deliver, engage with people early, openly and take full responsibility.
11. Treat everyone fairly and consistently to preserve workplace trust
If you only ever play favourites you’ll never earn people’s trust.
It’s natural that some people at work will get on better than others.
Friendships and relationships that grow in the office can be beneficial, but it’s important that they don’t influence behaviour.
When some of your people feel they are treated differently, or when one person is allowed to operate by alternative rules, the structure that preserves trust in the workplace falls down.
How to preserve workplace trust through fairness
- If certain rules have to exist, ensure that they are formally communicated and visibly enforced.
- Involve people in rule creation wherever possible and always make time to explain WHY they are important.
- Use huddles or team meetings to agree processes for decisions such as requesting annual leave or the need for people to learn a new skills.
- Compliment this with display boards that openly share leave bookings, shift patterns, skills and similar team arrangements.
- Consider allowing team members as a whole to make decisions on whether exceptions are approved.
- Allow teams to form their own huddles to encourage self management.
12. Uphold workplace trust by mastering empathy
Understand the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Empathy is often talked about but just as often misunderstood.
Telling someone you know how they feel is not empathy, it’s sympathy. Empathy is genuinely ‘feeling’ how they feel, rather than feeling sorry for how they feel.
It’s a difficult thing to do, especially at work, but without it people can find their concerns and problems being swept away or papered over, which is hugely detrimental to trust and empowerment in the workplace.
This wonderful talk by author Dr Brené Brown manages to get to the heart of why empathy is so challenging and important.
How to uphold trust in the workplace through empathy
- Begin by attentively listening to what people are telling you, allowing them to finish before you respond.
- If you struggle to fully understand their perspective ask them for more information, rather than attempting to guess.
- Take care to notice and acknowledge the way the speaker is feeling.
- Don’t attempt to make light or try to put a good perspective or spin on what they’re going through.
- Check in regularly.
13. Demonstrate workplace trust through action
Trust isn’t built through words—it’s built through actions.
You can’t expect employees to trust leadership if they’ve never been given a reason to. Likewise, leaders can’t expect to trust their teams if they never give them the chance to earn it. Trust is a two-way street, and it starts with demonstrating confidence in your people.
One of the most powerful ways to build workplace trust is through empowerment. Employees need the freedom to learn by doing, to make mistakes without fear, and to develop their own approach—not just replicate someone else’s.
How to demonstrate workplace trust in people
- Learn the art of delegation: Communicate your expectations exactly, don’t prescribe actions and always check in before expected delivery.
- Practice delegating by playing to people’s strengths, before providing opportunities to improve their weaknesses.
- When problems arise, remember to be a coach and don’t demand to take control of the situation.
- Recognise people’s achievements, especially outside of their comfort zone, both in private and public.
- Know your people: What’s their comfort zone? What will stretch them? What will cause panic?
- Invest in an Insights Discovery Programme to help strengthen team cohesion and inform you and your leaders.
14. Maintain workplace trust by understanding people
You can’t use the same approach for everyone in your team.
Although research shows that trust depends on common factors, from keeping promises to being treated fairly, how you build trust with each individual will require a personal touch.
Some people connect better through conversation, and finding similarities. Others build stronger relationships in shared achievements or experiences.
Every method of building trust will rely on you or your leaders having a good understanding of your people and their personalities.
How to maintain workplace trust by understanding your people
- Create regular opportunities for teams and departments to mix, formally and informally.
- Provide two-way internal communication channels such as forums or hubs.
- Support your leaders to better understand their people and encourage them to keep you informed.
- Consider our accredited Insights Discovery programme, providing individual personality profiles and team wheels to inform overall performance.
Where next?
It’s important to continue your quest to build and maintain trust in the workplace by using measurements that support people, not just track performance.
The best Key Performance Indicators should encourage a sense of shared purpose, build belonging within the business and form trust among teams.
In the end, cultivating workplace trust relies more on the carrot than the stick.
