If culture is “the way we do things around here”, what happens when people no longer trust the way things are done ?
Culture is an overused term to explain a wide range of organisational challenges. In our experience, it is frequently blamed for everything from siloed teams to differences across global locations.
Culture is often described as “the way we do things around here”. In simple terms, it is how people behave in any given situation. Geography, age profile and personality all influence the differences we see and experience.
However, one of the biggest factors shaping workplace behaviour is trust.
My experience has led me to believe that most people want to come to work, do a good job, be rewarded and then go home. So why do some people behave differently once they are in the workplace ?
“Everyone behaves for a reason.”
What has happened, or is currently happening, in an organisation influences how people behave and perform. When trust is broken, people naturally become more cautious because they feel vulnerable to harm.
For example, if I shared sensitive feedback with a manager and that confidentiality was broken, leading to confrontation, I would be far less likely to share honest feedback again.
The brain retains not only the experience, but also the emotions attached to it, helping us decide what to do, or avoid doing, in the future.
As a result, we often hold on to negative experiences for disproportionately longer than positive ones, and that mindset shapes our behaviour.
Rebuilding trust requires more than a believable vision and a plan for execution. It needs visible milestones that demonstrate genuine commitment and show that change is being taken seriously. There is also the challenge of overcoming the confirmation bias, where some people actively look for evidence that change is not working because it reinforces their belief that they were right to be sceptical.
Most importantly, leaders need to actively role model the desired culture and demonstrate trustworthiness through their everyday actions. Only then can they create the conditions for meaningful, lasting change in relationships, teams and the wider organisation.
Insight
A colleague sent me some brand-new research conducted by Investors in People. The “Trust Paradox” whitepaper highlights a significant disconnect between executive perceptions of trust and employee experiences, finding that 61% of staff engage in self-preservation behaviours despite universal agreement on the importance of workplace trust. This “rhetoric-reality gap” manifests as widespread silence, with 65% of employees withholding input, creating a culture where open-door policies often fail to foster genuine transparency.
Low levels of authentic trust directly weaken employee commitment, with one in five workers reporting reduced loyalty, which fuels disengagement and turnover. The whitepaper advises leaders to abandon superficial surveys and instead cultivate psychological safety by establishing daily, concrete behaviours that reward honesty and eliminate the fear of retribution. To read the article in full visit: https://www.investorsinpeople.com/knowledge/the-trust-paradox/
News
Summer has definitely arrived, and with it most of us have plans to take some time off work. But do you actually use your holiday time to switch off from work? New research from HiBob highlights how difficult it has become for many employees to truly switch off from work. More than half of those surveyed admitted checking work messages within minutes of waking up while on holiday, and almost half feel there is an expectation to always be available. Experts argue this “always-on” culture is less about individual boundaries and more about organisational design, with heavy workloads, constant pressure and unclear expectations making it difficult for employees to disconnect.
The findings are a timely reminder that taking proper time away from work is essential for long-term performance. Rest and recovery allow people to think more clearly, make better decisions and return with renewed energy. Organisations that encourage employees to fully recharge are not lowering expectations; they are creating the conditions for sustainable high performance, healthier teams and stronger leadership over the long term. To read the article in full visit: https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/employees-check-work-messages-minutes-after-waking-on-holiday