How Trust Impacts Employee Engagement: Integrity is Key to Unlocking Organizational Potential
How Trust Impacts Employee Engagement: Integrity is Key to Unlocking Organizational Potential
Unlock your organization’s potential through increased engagement
In many workplaces today, employees check in and check out, doing the bare minimum. They cover their backs and avoid stepping outside of their job descriptions. Office politics can take over, and commitment to the organization wanes. In contrast, an engaged workforce expresses trust—people work with purpose, collaboration flourishes, and going above and beyond becomes the norm. As a leader, which of these environments would you prefer?
So, how do we shift from disengaged to engaged?
When someone is hired, they enter into an unspoken agreement with their employer—a social contract. They invest their time, energy, and sense of self in the hope of future rewards. This contract is shaped by both explicit and implicit promises made by the organization.
In the past, employers could rely on ambiguous promises of career progression to keep employees engaged and motivated. They could fall short of expectations multiple times without significant consequences. However, times have changed.
Today, lower trust levels in organizations and their leaders have led to increased cynicism among employees. So, how can we rebuild trust and boost engagement?
This is a complex issue involving elements of context, integrity, and benevolence. Let’s begin by focusing on integrity—a critical lever for building trust.
Integrity: A Key Driver of Employee Engagement
- Deliver on your promises. Be intentional and clear about what is promised and what is expected from employees. Make sure to tell the story of how you follow through on your commitments as they unfold. This transparency reinforces trust and provides clarity on where the organization stands.
- Surface unspoken expectations. Many employees have implicit assumptions about how they’ll be treated, evaluated, and rewarded. It’s essential to bring these expectations to the surface, discussing and clarifying them with your team. This process will reveal gaps between expectations and reality, allowing you to address any potential trust breaches.
- Align actions with values. It’s crucial to articulate clear stories about your organization’s values and demonstrate how your actions align with them. By doing this, you explain to employees not just what you do, but why you do it. This builds trust and fosters a deeper connection to the organization’s mission.
At Trust Unlimited, we’ve seen firsthand how a focus on trust can transform organizational culture. When leaders “walk the talk” and lead with integrity, they unlock a more engaged, motivated workforce. Want to learn more steps for fostering engagement? Comment below, and let’s start the conversation.
#TrustedLeadership #EngagedTeams #BuildingTrust #WorkplaceTransformation #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamSuccess #BusinessPerformance
Meet Darryl

Darryl is one of the world’s leading experts on Trust. He teaches leaders how to find and use their most powerful tool. A tool that is always in a leader’s control, how to effectively build Trust in their relationships.