Building trust with employees is more than just a question of maintaining a positive work environment and strong company culture. According to research by Deloitte, employees who trust their employer “are 260% more motivated to work, have 41% lower rates of absenteeism, and are 50% less likely to look for another job.”
As HR tech transforms the HR department, cultivating a high-trust workplace culture is more important than ever. Individual employees need consistency, transparency, and follow-through in order to feel a sense of belonging and engagement in their role.
Here’s how modern HR tools like employee engagement platforms can help to build relationships, resolve trust issues, and improve the employee experience.
Building trust with employees has always been important, but the rise of remote work, the use of AI in HR, and the shifting dynamics of a multigenerational workforce have all changed the nature of trust in the workplace for good. A lack of trust can lead to conflict between team members, burnout, absenteeism, and even legal issues.
Here are three positive outcomes of building trust with employees.
Building trust with employees is a two-way street: It involves earning their respect while also trusting employees to do their job well. High-performing employees may resist what they see as interference or micromanagement. Genuine, trusting relationships between team members lead to better decision-making and teamwork.
When employees know they’ll be treated fairly and recognized for good performance, they’re more likely to go the extra mile to contribute to team success.
A low-trust environment contributes to high employee turnover and can damage your reputation as an employer. While trust isn’t the same thing as employee engagement, there’s a strong correlation between how secure and valued employees feel and how long they stick around at your workplace.
Clear and transparent processes help to earn employees’ trust, increase retention, and improve your ability to employ top talent.
Sometimes, you need to rebuild trust with employees after an incident or do damage control in the wake of employee misconduct. When people trust you to handle issues fairly, they’re more likely to make complaints through the proper channels and avoid contributing to rumors and gossip.
Having an incident management process and encouraging open communication can facilitate conflict resolution and problem-solving.
The definition of trust may vary from one workplace to the next. Expectations around communication, attendance, and performance can vary, especially when comparing in-person workplaces to remote teams. Still, there are a few principles that can help build trust with employees no matter what your organizational style.
Do employees feel comfortable showing up to work, participating in team meetings, and shaping your workplace culture? Do they have enough downtime to support their mental health?
Favoritism, sexual harassment, and micromanagement can contribute to a lack of trust at your workplace as a whole, while specific conditions, like PTSD, may require dedicated accommodations for individual employees.
At a minimum, employees should trust that you’ll honor their rights to fair pay, paid or unpaid leave, and other entitlements under employment law. When it comes to leave of absence management, for example, you can build trust by having a personal leave policy, calculating leave balances accurately, and complying with confidentiality rules.
Modern HR tech provides new ways to automate and standardize processes, but some employees may feel alienated or left behind by new technology. Build trust by centering in-person relationships, using AI with a human touch, and emphasizing team-building over competition. Ensure that your organizational values are clear and consistent.
Building trust with employees is an interpersonal process, but you can use technology to support your trust-building initiatives. Here are five ways to foster a culture of trust that advances your business goals while improving the employee experience.
Communication styles vary widely, especially in multigenerational workplaces. Some employees are comfortable raising issues at in-person meetings, while others prefer text-based communication. Provide multiple channels for employees to engage with organizational leadership, and listen to their feedback. You can use:
Pulpstream supports clear communication with automatic reminders and notifications, and even instant responses via AI-powered chatbots. Plus, you’ll have a digital paper trail of important communications in case there’s a disagreement later.
Digital tools support trust and transparency by giving employees more control over their data, including employee benefits and leave entitlements. Instead of having to call your HR team to get the answers to their questions, employees can use a self-service portal to request leave, upload supporting documents, fill out digital forms, and more.
According to the 2026 State of Leave Management report, employee satisfaction jumps from 3.0 to as high as 4.8 out of 5, when you use modern platforms like Pulpstream for leave of absence management and other HR processes.
Moving goalposts and unclear expectations can lead to confusion and lack of trust. Set clear goals and track them using high-performance management so employees always know where they stand. Encourage self-management over micromanagement, and let trusted employees play an active role in decision-making.
Set up employee recognition programs to reward good performance and show that you value them as part of the team.
Employees who see a path to career growth at your organization are more likely to stick around. Use onboarding automation to welcome new hires to your team, and reassure them that they have options for training and mentorship if they need support.
Don’t just focus on new hires, though. Provide leadership development training to managers to ensure that they know how to have honest conversations with their team.
Employees who feel stressed at work are more likely to request time off or experience burnout. And as more states introduce paid leave programs, providing leave is just part of your obligation as an employer. Use a platform like Pulpstream to track attendance and paid time off, and comply with state-specific leave requirements.
Asking for time off can be difficult, so give employees the benefit of the doubt when they request leave. Request supporting documents when necessary, and use Pulpstream to flag excessive absences or leave of absence abuse. Be proactive when an employee shows signs of overwork and encourage them to find a healthy work-life balance.
Building trust with employees requires more than just fair pay and equal treatment. It requires open communication, transparency, and the right digital tools. By prioritizing trustworthiness and genuine relationships between team members, you can increase employee engagement, improve morale, and reduce turnover at your organization.
Pulpstream helps you maintain high levels of trust with an employee relations platform that facilitates communication and teamwork. Employees can view their benefits and leave of absence entitlements, track the status of HR requests, and resolve simple issues on their own using a self-service portal.
Plus, your HR team can use data analytics to monitor employee engagement and performance metrics in real time.
Request a demo today to see how Pulpstream can make a difference!