Trust sits at the heart of the employee-employer relationship. As employers, we trust our people to bring their best selves to work, follow company practices and procedures and protect the business by behaving ethically at work and elsewhere. By the same token, employees trust their employer to provide fair compensation, a safe work environment free from discrimination of any kind, and opportunities for growth and advancement, regardless of ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.
When mutual trust is present, great things happen. In companies where trust is strong, employees report 74% less stress, 106% more energy, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives and 40% less burnout than their counterparts at low-trust companies. Conversely, a lack of trust creates a high-stress environment where no one is performing at their best. Productivity, creativity, energy and innovation plummet and the organization loses its competitive edge. The connection couldn’t be clearer.