The study, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Investors in People, surveyed more than 1,000 employees and 500 HR leaders. While trust was widely recognised as important by both groups, the findings reveal a notable gap between leadership perceptions and employee behaviour.

Trust valued by leaders and employees alike

According to the research, 82% of HR leaders believe employees are trusted to use their judgement at work, while more than half (55%) describe trust as essential to organisational success.

Trust is also highly valued by employees, with 93% saying it is important in the workplace.

However, the findings suggest that while trust may be viewed as a core organisational value, employees do not always experience it in practice.

Employees are protecting themselves and staying silent

The research found that 61% of employees regularly “cover themselves” at work by keeping emails, screenshots or other records, with almost a third (32%) doing so most weeks.

Meanwhile, 65% say they have avoided raising or speaking openly about an issue at work during the past six months.

According to Investors in People, these behaviours may indicate that employees do not feel fully comfortable speaking up, even in organisations where leaders believe trust levels are high.

Eddie Salmon, chief operating officer at Investors in People, said organisations risk “trusting the idea of trust” rather than examining whether employees genuinely feel able to speak openly.

“Trust is not what people say in a survey or what appears in a values statement. It is what people feel safe enough to do. Do they speak up early? Do they admit mistakes? Do they challenge decisions? Do they raise workload concerns?”

Concerns over workload and manager behaviour go unspoken

Employees are most likely to avoid raising issues relating to workload and burnout, manager behaviour, disagreement with organisational decisions, ideas that challenge existing ways of working and concerns about organisational change.

While almost half (49%) of HR leaders believe employees raise issues early when problems arise, a quarter of employees say they would attempt to resolve a mistake or problem themselves before informing colleagues or managers.

“It can be easy to read silence as acceptance, resilience or alignment. In reality it can mean employees have decided that speaking openly feels too risky.”

Low trust impacts performance and engagement

The research also highlights the impact low levels of trust can have on employee behaviour.

When trust in leadership or the wider organisation is low, employees are more likely to focus on self-protection (29%), do only what is required of them (25%), look for a new role (19%) or avoid taking risks and showing initiative (19%).

HR leaders recognise the business implications of these behaviours. Nearly half (48%) identify reduced productivity as a key concern when trust is low, while 37% cite lower levels of engagement.

Salmon said that organisations can lose valuable ideas, energy and early warning signs when employees become more cautious and less willing to raise concerns.

Managers remain central to building trust

The findings also underline the critical role managers play in shaping employees’ experiences of trust.

More than a third (37%) of employees say they would approach their manager first if something went wrong at work. However, one in five employees say their level of trust in the organisation depends largely on who their manager is.

The same proportion say they have avoided speaking up about concerns relating to manager behaviour.

HR leaders identified poor leadership behaviour (37%), inconsistent communication during periods of uncertainty (29%) and inconsistent manager capability (26%) as the biggest risks to trust within organisations.

Communication gaps emerge during organisational change

The research suggests there is also a disconnect between how HR leaders believe organisational change is communicated and how employees experience it.

More than half (53%) of HR leaders say decisions affecting employees’ roles or teams are explained with appropriate reasoning and context. However, only 34% of employees agree.

Similarly, 35% of HR leaders believe employees are consulted before decisions are finalised, compared with just 24% of employees.

Salmon said trust is often tested most during periods of change:

“Employees do not experience trust as an abstract organisational value. They experience it through the person they report to, the decisions that affect them and the way concerns are handled.”

Measuring trust through behaviour

Investors in People said organisations should focus on measuring the behaviours that demonstrate whether employees feel psychologically safe, rather than relying solely on perceptions of trust.

The organisation recommends equipping managers to build trust consistently, creating environments where employees feel comfortable speaking up and involving employees earlier in decisions that affect their work.

The findings suggest that while many organisations view trust as a strength, employee behaviour may provide a more accurate measure of whether trust is truly embedded within workplace culture.

Building trust is essential, and measuring how we do that helps us improve. Join us at The Reward and Payroll Summit to find out how you can increase engagement and build more cohesive reward strategies- Click here to find out more.