Gartner Recommends HR Leaders Take Four Key Actions to Build Employee Trust Amid Times of Disruption
“Trust is crucial for organizations’ success. Employees who trust senior leaders at their organization are significantly more engaged compared to employees who do not,” said Ned Feuer, Senior Director in the Gartner HR practice. “A lack of trust most often stems from senior leaders withholding information, scapegoating or retracting decisions.”
HR leaders can help their organization’s leaders avoid these behaviors and build employee trust in four actionable ways:
- Conduct employee trust assessments and address the findings
- Encourage decision-making transparency
- Facilitate open dialogue between employees and senior leaders
- Invest in skills development programs for senior leaders
1. Assess Employee Trust and Address Issues
Once data is collected, HR leaders should transparently communicate findings to all employees, as well as explain what steps the organization is taking to address trust deficits. Gartner research shows employees are more likely to trust senior leaders if they perceive those leaders as valuing their feedback.
2. Encourage Transparency from Leaders
“Communications from senior leadership carry great influence and employees pay attention to them,” said Maggie Mastrogiovanni, Principal in the Gartner HR practice. “Gartner research found employees are 4.3 times more likely to trust leaders who explain decisions; boosting trust via transparency is especially important during volatile periods.”
3. Facilitate Open Dialogue
4. Invest in Building Senior Leaders’ Skills
By also providing coaching for senior leaders on consistent and authentic leadership practices, HR leaders can help maintain employee trust and mitigate confusion from retracted decisions.
With CEOs hyper-focused on driving growth in 2025, senior leaders need to make sure they are doing their part to build trust and encourage employee effort.
