There are companies where people do what is necessary to get the job done.
And there are others where people get involved, propose ideas, adapt quickly, and push the business forward.
The difference often lies not in the size of the company, nor in the budget, nor even in the strategy. With over 30 years of research on workplace culture, Great Place To Work® has proven that it is all about trust.
The outcome is the result of findings that consistently proved that when people trust their leaders, it completely changes the way they work. People are more proactive, they are more prone to collaborate, to take more initiative, and to be committed.
And the sum of these experiences directly impacts business results. We call that the Great Place To Work® Effect.
For a long time, talking about culture seemed like a separate conversation from business. But today, organizations are faced with a variety of challenges, spanning volatile markets, talent retention, innovation, and adaptability, affecting business functions and making it impossible to remove culture from the equation.
In this context, trust becomes a competitive advantage. Organizations with high-trust cultures achieve greater revenue per employee, their workforces are more innovative, and they experience lower turnover rates compared to typical workplaces.
“Trust is a universal currency. Trust is what makes people who believe very different things able to work together. It is all about trust. Without trust, there is nothing.” — Michael C. Bush, Global CEO at Great Place To Work®
What Happens When There Is No Trust
When people do not trust leadership and the people they work with, it surfaces in signs that can be clearly identified:
- Lack of novel ideas
- Teams reluctant to take risks
- People only do what is necessary
- Change generates resistance
- Wear and tear increases
All of this ends up affecting the ability to grow and scale. Without conscious effort to build trust across all levels, organizations risk having these warning signs become part of a workplace reality that, in the long run, slows everything down.
How Trust Shows Up at Work
For trust to settle as the status quo, it ought to be experienced at every level. First, leaders’ behaviors need to be informed by this need to build or strengthen trust with every interaction they have with their employees. Teams should be able to experience trust as a means of collaboration, and finally, at an individual level, employees should feel trusted and empowered in their roles.
All these connective relationships across leadership, teams, and work draw on different elements of trust: reliability from peers, strength from leaders, and ability from both. When all three are present, trust becomes the connective tissue of the culture, not just a feeling, but a measurable force.
The Great Place To Work® Model visualizes how trust flows in multiple directions, from leaders, teammates, and through the work itself, to shape the employee experience. Trust connects each of these relationships and enables pride, camaraderie, and fairness for all.
What Does This Mean For Your Culture?
In a world defined by rapid change, AI breakthroughs, and growing distrust in organizations, trust becomes our north star. It is what rallies us and grounds us while everything around shifts.
At Great Place To Work®, trust is the core of our model. It is the visible thread that connects leadership, culture, and performance. It is what we measure, what we build, and what we believe in.
If you want to understand how trust drives real business outcomes, and how to build it in your own organization, start here.
