Most Employees Don’t Trust Their Leaders. Here’s What to Do About It.SKIP TO CONTENTHarvard Business Review LogoHarvard Business Review LogoTrustworthiness|Most Employees Don’t Trust Their Leaders. Here’s What to Do About It.SubscribeSign InLatestMagazineTopicsPodcastsStoreReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSearch hbr.orgCLEARSubscribeLatestPodcastsThe MagazineStoreWebinarsNewslettersAll TopicsReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveMy LibraryAccount SettingsSign InExplore HBRLatestThe MagazinePodcastsStoreWebinarsNewslettersPopular TopicsManaging YourselfLeadershipStrategyManaging TeamsGenderInnovationWork-life BalanceAll TopicsFor SubscribersReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSubscribeMy AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesSign InHarvard Business Review LogoTrustworthinessMost Employees Don’t Trust Their Leaders. Here’s What to Do About It. by Ned Feuer and Maggie MastrogiovanniDecember 2, 2025eAlisa/Getty ImagesPostPostShareSavePrintSummary.   Leer en españolLer em portuguêsPostPostShareSavePrintTrust is an invaluable commodity that’s critical for organizational success. Yet it can be elusive. The challenges of the moment—rapid policy changes, continued economic uncertainty, and more—only increase the pressure on leadership. Facing headwinds like this, a solid foundation of employee trust can give companies an important edge. Without it, though, they can find themselves less prepared to weather these storms.Ned Feuer is a senior director on Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights team. He leads a group of quantitative researchers and data scientists conducting research across different C-level priorities.Maggie Mastrogiovanni is a principal on Gartner’s Business and Technology Insights team. She is a quantitative researcher who conducts research on key HR topics, including leadership, recruiting, and candidate experience.PostPostShareSavePrintRead more on Trustworthiness or related topics Motivating people, Organizational culture, Employee retention and Employee engagementPartner CenterStart my subscription!Explore HBRThe LatestAll TopicsMagazine ArchiveReading ListsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutivePodcastsWebinarsData & VisualsMy LibraryNewslettersHBR PressHBR StoreArticle ReprintsBooksCasesCollectionsMagazine IssuesHBR Guide SeriesHBR 20-Minute ManagersHBR Emotional Intelligence SeriesHBR Must ReadsToolsAbout HBRContact UsAdvertise with UsInformation for Booksellers/RetailersMastheadGlobal EditionsMedia InquiriesGuidelines for AuthorsHBR Analytic ServicesCopyright PermissionsAccessibilityDigital AccessibilityManage My AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesAccount FAQHelp CenterContact Customer ServiceExplore HBRThe LatestAll TopicsMagazine ArchiveReading ListsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutivePodcastsWebinarsData & VisualsMy LibraryNewslettersHBR PressHBR StoreArticle ReprintsBooksCasesCollectionsMagazine IssuesHBR Guide SeriesHBR 20-Minute ManagersHBR Emotional Intelligence SeriesHBR Must ReadsToolsAbout HBRContact UsAdvertise with UsInformation for Booksellers/RetailersMastheadGlobal EditionsMedia InquiriesGuidelines for AuthorsHBR Analytic ServicesCopyright PermissionsAccessibilityDigital AccessibilityManage My AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesAccount FAQHelp CenterContact Customer ServiceFollow HBRFacebookX Corp.LinkedInInstagramYour NewsreaderHarvard Business Review LogoAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCopyright InformationTrademark PolicyTerms of UseHarvard Business Publishing:Higher EducationCorporate LearningHarvard Business ReviewHarvard Business SchoolCopyright ©2025 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.

The article “Most Employees Don’t Trust Their Leaders. Here’s What to Do About It,” authored by Ned Feuer and Maggie Mastrogiovanni and published in the Harvard Business Review, addresses a pervasive issue within organizations: the declining levels of trust between employees and their leaders. The central argument posits that the current environment, characterized by rapid policy shifts and economic instability, amplifies the pressure on leadership, directly impacting employee trust. This diminished trust presents a significant impediment to organizational success, particularly in navigating challenging circumstances. The authors don’t explicitly offer a solution, but the premise assumes that a lack of trust limits a company’s ability to respond appropriately to the pressures of its environment.

The foundational concept presented is that trust is a critical and arguably undervalued asset for any organization. It is not merely a desirable attribute but a fundamental requirement for effective operation, particularly during times of disruption. The article implicitly suggests that a deficiency in trust creates vulnerability, hindering a company's ability to develop the resilience needed to effectively respond to external challenges. The authors do not indicate any statistical data, but the framing of the problem suggests that if there is a problem with trust, it has a detrimental impact on output, productivity, operational efficiencies, and the overall results of the organization.

The article’s core message, therefore, isn’t a detailed strategy but a pointed observation about the precarious state of leadership-employee relationships, and the impact that it causes. The authors clearly suggest that building trust must be a priority, and this issue is likely to exacerbate during challenging periods. This perspective underscores the importance of proactive leadership, which involves cultivating open communication, demonstrating consistent values, fostering psychological safety, and holding leaders accountable to their promises. Ultimately, the absence of trust creates an atmosphere of skepticism, reducing employee engagement, innovation, and willingness to go the extra mile. The article doesn’t focus on how to tackle this issue directly, but the emphasis is on the recognition that it is a major obstacle to organizational success, particularly in the current volatile environment. The article makes a clear argument that when leaders are not perceived as trustworthy, the repercussions can have a cascading effect across the organization.