Trust: The Foundation of Value, Productivity, and Accountability

By Dr. Torrie Kalm, PsyD | The Kalm Effect, LLC

In our last blog, we explored how leadership isn’t about checking items off a to-do list, it’s about the intentional practices that shape a meaningful culture. Today, we're going even deeper, to a concept that often goes unspoken but is essential to high-performance workplaces: trust.

Trust is the unifying force that converts daily work into meaningful collaboration. When trust is present, employees feel valued, not just for what they do, but for who they are. And that matters because:

• Globally, 79 % of employees say they trust their employer, surpassing other institutions like NGOs, government, and media.

• Nevertheless, trust is showing cracks: in 2025, only 75 % of employees trust their company to “do what is right,” down 3 points from the prior year.

• When trust falters, employees suffer: 61 % of workers feel that a perceived lack of trust by their employer hampers their ability to do their jobs well.

  
  

When employees are trusted, remarkable outcomes follow:

• A Slack survey found that trusted employees have 2.1× better focus, 2× higher productivity, and 4.3× greater satisfaction with work.

• Those same trusted employees are 1.3× more likely to put in extra effort and 1.2× more willing to go above and beyond than those who feel distrusted.

• According to Gable, organizations with high-trust cultures outperform peers by up to 400 %, boast 260 % more motivated employees, see 41 % lower absenteeism, and experience 50 % fewer employees looking to leave.

• Companies with high-trust cultures also enjoy stronger finances and stock performance, Great Place To Work certified firms have outperformed the market by 19 percentage points since 2020, with even greater resilience during downturns.

On the flip side, lack of trust erodes well‑being and engagement:

• Employees who trust their employers experience 74 % less stress and 40 % less burnout.

• Yet, only 36 % of employees feel engaged, and just 24 % feel psychologically safe at work in 2025.

• Additionally, disengagement costs organizations dearly. Gallup estimates that in the U.S., disengagement costs about $2 trillion in lost productivity, and globally, it amounts to $8.8 trillion, nearly 9 % of global GDP.

  
  

Why This Matters—From Me, In the Trenches

I’m a veteran of coaching organizations through growth and transformation, and here’s what I’ve witnessed: trust doesn’t blossom from grand declarations, it blooms in daily consistency. It’s in leaders who check in not just to meet metrics but to ask, “How are you?” It’s in those who follow through on feedback, who create space for voices to be heard, and are sincerely grateful when they are.

When employees feel seen, empowered, and confidently heard, something shifts: pressure decreases, focus sharpens, mistakes become learning opportunities, and an accountable, resilient culture emerges. That’s where productivity ceases to be task-driven and becomes purpose-driven.

Takeaway

Trust isn't a buzzword, it’s the bedrock of performance, retention, morale, and innovation. The numbers illustrate it, and your commitment to building trust transforms those numbers into real-world impact. When trust is woven into everyday leadership, employees become not just cogs in the wheel, but engaged partners in a shared mission.