Trust. It’s the glue that holds people and organizations together, yet it feels increasingly fragile. Recent insights from the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer and the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025 reveal the evolving dynamics of trust within the workplace. Yet, amidst this upheaval, workplaces are uniquely positioned to rewrite the trust narrative—if leadership and internal communications step up. 

Here’s the kicker: employees trust their CEOs more than government officials or media figures, but there’s a big “if” attached. That trust is conditional, built on transparency, clear values, and alignment with issues that genuinely matter to employees. At the same time, rank-and-file employees themselves remain some of the most trusted ambassadors for organizations. Their relatability makes them powerful voices—but only if they’re empowered to share genuinely. 

Let's unpack the highlights and explore why trust matters more than ever in the world of work—and how HR and business leaders can step up.

Why Workplace Trust Matters Now More Than Ever

Before we jump into the solutions, it’s worth asking, why does all this matter? 

When employees trust their leaders, they’re more likely to stay engaged, stick around long-term, and even advocate for the organization outside of work. On the flip side, if trust erodes, it hits innovation, teamwork, and productivity hard.

And trust doesn’t operate in some kind of bubble—external forces like geopolitical challenges and rapid advancements, like AI, are slipping through the cracks and impacting workplaces. Consider this stat from the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025—nearly 40% of today’s skills will be obsolete by 2030. Combine that with growing demands for transparency, and you’ve got a recipe for serious pressure on leaders to show up with honesty and responsibility.

Bottom line? If leaders aren’t actively fostering trust, they’re falling behind.

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📉 Trust in Leadership is Slipping

The Edelman study paints a sobering picture. Trust in institutions—businesses, media, and government—is in decline, with 68% of people globally doubting whether leaders tell the truth. Yet, there’s a silver lining. CEOs still hold a unique position as trusted figures compared to other institutional heads. Employees are looking to them for authenticity and decisive action. 

But here’s the catch. That trust isn’t unconditional. It hinges on leaders doing three key things:

• Prioritizing people over profits during hard times,
• Aligning with employee values, and 
• Communicating transparently about societal and organizational challenges. 

Leaders who step up to address these areas don’t just maintain trust; they grow it, turning challenges into opportunities to show integrity.

🍵 Trust in Employees Brews Strong

Here's an interesting twist. The report also found that ordinary employees are viewed as authentic brand ambassadors. Why? They're relatable. They represent real, lived experiences of your organization—warts and all. Their unpolished, honest stories resonate, both internally and externally. 

It's a wake-up call for HR and communications teams. You don’t need a celebrity CEO to build trust. Sometimes it’s your everyday team members who drive your narrative best.   

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💡 Where Does All This Leave Us? It's About Connection. 

For HR and internal comms professionals, trust building isn't about grand gestures. It’s about fostering the day-to-day moments, little by little, that connect leaders and employees. 

Here’s how to make it happen:

1️⃣  Be Transparent (Even When the Truth Hurts) 

Employees don’t expect perfection—but they do expect honesty. Mediocre results can gain respect if communicated transparently, whereas spinning facts leads to distrust. 

Take Sonos’ interim CEO, Tom Conrad, as an inspiring example. When faced with the fallout of a major app failure that damaged the company’s reputation, Conrad didn’t sugarcoat anything. His letter to employees directly acknowledged the company’s shortcomings, openly addressing customer frustrations like, “We’ve let far too many people down this year.” 

But Conrad didn’t stop at acknowledging the issues—he painted a vision for Sonos’ future while remaining grounded and relatable (he even shared that his Sonos speakers played in his daughter’s delivery room!). This balance of humility and hope sets a blueprint for leaders to earn credibility during difficult moments. 

💡 How you can help: HR and communications teams need to coach leaders on striking this balance. Help them craft messages that tie honesty, human connection, and forward-looking optimism together. Leaders don’t need all the answers—they just need to come across as real. 

2️⃣ Align Actions with Values 

Trust is built in the gap between words and actions. Employees expect leaders to live the values they profess. When leaders prioritize people over profits, especially during tough times, trust grows. 

Case in point? Edelman’s report shows 68% of employees trust CEOs more when their business actively addresses societal issues that harm its stakeholders (e.g., sustainability or misinformation). That doesn’t mean companies need to solve every societal problem, but strategic action that aligns with stated values goes a long way. 

💡 How you can help: Facilitate cross-departmental alignment so that leadership’s public-facing messaging syncs with internal actions. Employees notice—and appreciate—consistency.

3️⃣Elevate Employee Voices 

With 77% of people in the Edelman report agreeing that employees’ views on workplace culture are highly trusted, it’s vital to prioritize storytelling. Encourage employees to share their genuine experiences, and champion their stories across company channels and externally. It’s engaging. It’s relatable. And ultimately, it’s trustworthy.

Here’s a game-changer from Edelman’s data—employees are seen as more credible than CEOs when it comes to sharing authentic narratives about their organizations(77% of people agree that employees’ views on workplace culture are highly trusted). This puts employees at the center of an untapped trust-building opportunity, both internally and externally. 

Think about it. Who would you trust more to talk about workplace culture—a senior executive with polished talking points or a peer sharing an unscripted experience? 

💡How you can help: 

• Highlight authentic employee stories in internal newsletters, blogs, or social media. Showcase the real people behind the company. 
• Encourage peer-to-peer communication channels like forums or collaborative tools. These foster camaraderie and connection across teams. 
• Create training on using social media responsibly, equipping employees to advocate for the business (if they choose to do so). 

By empowering employees to share their experiences, companies earn authenticity in their narrative. 

4️⃣ Create Two-Way Communication Channels 

This isn’t just good practice; it’s survival. Employees are inundated with messaging—emails, notifications, videos—all vying for their attention. Cutting through the noise means creating genuine spaces for employee feedback. 

💡  How you can help: Introduce systems like real-time polling tools or live chat Q&As during town halls. Cut the "broadcast-only" approaches and open the floor.

🚀 Trust Can’t Be Delegated. It’s Built Every Day. 

We’re in a trust crisis, but internal comms professionals hold the tools to help organizations rebuild. Whether it’s equipping leaders with the right words, amplifying employee voices, or bridging the gap between executives and teams, trust-building starts from within. 

When employees trust their leaders and peers, they’re more likely to become advocates for the organization. And when external stakeholders hear these voices, the ripple effect begins. 

But trust is fragile. It’s only as strong as your organization’s commitment to consistent authenticity. Creating that foundation starts with HR and communications pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Here’s the secret sauce in all of this:

• Trust isn’t rocket science—it’s relatability.
• It’s transparency.
• It lives both in the polished CEO statements and the unscripted hallway chatter when no one’s watching.

Looking for more strategies to guide your organization through these shifts? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Or better yet, Let’s start the conversation today.  🌟

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