‘It’s a landmine’: Why does no one trust each other at work?

What’s worse: it seems that the feeling is mutual. 

And like in any unhappy relationship, the retaliation of both parties is harsh. In the employer’s arsenal of weapons: layoffs, return-to-office mandates, poor transparency with workers, and dodgy digital surveillance tactics. In the employee’s corner: quiet quitting, acting your wage, and of course, actual quitting.

Ask most execs about internal trust, and most would agree (or at least appreciate the logic) that it is the glue for strong organizational culture, high productivity, and employee contentment – all of which typically correlate to business success. Most (88%) of the 14,000 leaders surveyed by Deloitte in its 2024 Human Capital Trends report, published in early February, said that an increased focus on trust and transparency between workers and their organization is important for business success, but only 13% said they’re making meaningful progress on that. A mere 16% of workers said they trusted their employer. Countless other recent reports have also highlighted a major disconnect between employers and their employees, and there’s no sign it’s abating.

So, why is trust on such a knife edge?

Read more on our sister site, WorkLife.