The Two-Faced HR: Friend or Foe in the Workplace?
Trust is the bedrock of healthy workplace culture
Trust is the bedrock of any healthy workplace culture.
Kathie Owen Bio
When employees trust their HR team, they’re more engaged, collaborative, and committed to their work.
However, as we know too well from experience, when trust in HR erodes, the impact on morale and productivity can be profound.
I once observed a team where the HR department's actions led to a loss of trust, creating a ripple effect of disengagement and quiet quitting that could have been prevented.
Today, let’s dive into why HR’s role in fostering trust is crucial and explore actionable ways HR leaders can strengthen workplace relationships and repair trust when it’s been broken.
We’ll pull insights from sources like The Charisma Myth, where effective leadership is rooted in presence, warmth, and power, and draw on the empowering perspective of the "Chief Encouragement Officer" (CEO) approach, which prioritizes authentic support and upliftment in the workplace.
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Transparent and Consistent Communication
Transparency and Consistent Communication
Transparency is the starting point for any trusting relationship, and for HR, it’s foundational. When employees feel informed, they feel respected.
Lack of communication, or worse, selective communication, erodes trust quickly. Let’s consider a workplace where HR “picks and chooses” who is informed about policy changes, promotions, or new initiatives.
Not only does this foster rumors and resentment, but it also sends a message that only certain employees “deserve” transparency.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Transparency:
Regular Updates: Share timely information with the entire team, not just a few. Consider monthly newsletters, company-wide emails, or regular Q&A sessions to address any ongoing changes.
Be Honest and Direct: If policies are changing or decisions are being made, be open about the "why" behind them. Employees respect honesty, even when the news isn’t ideal.
Encourage Dialogue: Make feedback a two-way street. An open-door policy helps HR stay aware of what’s on employees’ minds, which brings us to our next point—active listening.
Practice Active Listening and Show Empathy
Practice Active Listening and Show Empathy
Empathy is one of HR’s superpowers but also one of its biggest challenges.
True empathy requires HR professionals to not only hear employees but also actively listen and understand their perspectives.
In The Charisma Myth, author Olivia Fox Cabane emphasizes that empathy and presence create a magnetic influence. Employees feel valued when they are truly heard.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Listening:
Conduct Regular Check-Ins: Hold one-on-one sessions with employees. These should be genuine opportunities to hear what’s going well and what isn’t—not just a box-ticking exercise.
Ask Questions and Follow Up: Showing interest in people’s lives and professional goals fosters a bond. Ask meaningful questions like, “How can we better support you in your role?” and follow up to show you genuinely care.
Acknowledge and Validate Concerns: Sometimes, you won’t have a solution right away, and that’s okay. Simply acknowledging someone’s feelings can go a long way toward building trust.
Ethical Leadership and Accountability
Model Ethical Leadership and Accountability
One of the biggest challenges in HR is upholding ethics, especially when difficult decisions must be made.
However, ethical HR practices lay the foundation for trust. Employees want to feel confident that HR won’t tolerate favoritism, hidden agendas, or unethical behavior.
From my experience, HR losing credibility was a direct result of leadership failing to hold everyone, including themselves, accountable.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Ethics and Accountability:
Lead by Example: Ensure that policies are applied fairly across the board. If favoritism is suspected, HR loses its credibility as an unbiased resource.
Hold Leaders Accountable: When a team sees that HR holds every level of employee accountable, trust grows. Accountability from the top down—making sure leadership follows the same rules as the rest of the team—is crucial. Read my story about bullying in the workplace and how HR did not hold “leaders” accountable.
Admit Mistakes and Apologize: No one is perfect. When HR leaders admit to their mistakes openly, it shows integrity and transparency.
The Chief Encouragement Officer
Serve as the ‘Chief Encouragement Officer’ (CEO)
Building trust isn’t about micromanaging or catching people off-guard—it’s about creating an environment where employees feel supported and inspired.
Think of yourself as the Chief Encouragement Officer. This approach shifts HR’s focus to highlighting employees’ strengths, providing resources for growth, and encouraging each individual to bring their best self to work.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Encouragement:
Celebrate Wins, Big and Small: Recognizing milestones, from professional achievements to personal ones, makes employees feel appreciated.
Regular recognition nurtures a culture where trust and engagement flourish.
Promote Professional Development: Offer career development plans, mentorships, and growth opportunities. When HR invests in employee development, it sends a message that the company believes in their potential.
Support Wellness and Well-Being: Trust is deeply tied to how supported employees feel in their roles.
Offer resources for mental and physical wellness, such as workshops, gym memberships, or mindfulness programs, to show you care about them as individuals, not just employees. Mental health in the workplace.
Clear, fair, and inclusive policies
Create Clear, Fair, and Inclusive Policies
Clarity, fairness, and inclusivity are pillars of a trusting workplace culture. Inconsistent or vague policies leave room for ambiguity, causing employees to second-guess HR’s intentions.
Additionally, inclusivity is not just about diversity quotas; it’s about ensuring every employee feels respected and valued, regardless of their background, gender, or ethnicity.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Policies:
Implement Clear Policies and Procedures: Have a clear process in place for common concerns such as promotions, grievance redressals, and performance evaluations.
Regularly Review and Update Policies: Involve employees in this process—consider their feedback when reviewing company policies.
This approach fosters a sense of ownership and trust in the organization’s direction.
Foster Diversity and Inclusion: Recognize and celebrate diverse backgrounds within the team.
HR should actively work to make sure everyone feels included, which means encouraging open conversations about inclusivity.
Deliver on Promises
Deliver on Promises and Follow Through
One of the simplest yet most powerful ways HR can build trust is by keeping promises. Nothing is more damaging to trust than empty promises or delayed actions.
Employees rely on HR to be consistent and reliable in addressing concerns and delivering on commitments. If trust is to be rebuilt after a period of missteps, the first step is to do exactly what you say you’ll do, every time.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Follow-Through:
Be Clear on Timelines: Whether it’s a policy change or an update on a grievance, set a timeline and keep it.
Take Action on Feedback: If you ask for feedback, act on it. Making small, visible improvements based on employee input can greatly enhance trust.
Handle Complaints Consistently: Use the same approach and procedures for every complaint, regardless of the employee’s position or perceived “importance.”
Cultivate a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Cultivate a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Trust is not a one-time achievement; it’s something that needs to be nurtured continuously.
HR leaders who regularly assess, reflect, and adapt their approach to the evolving needs of their team are the ones who sustain a high level of trust.
Employees value an HR team that proactively looks for ways to improve and make the workplace a better environment for all.
How HR Can Build Trust Through Continuous Improvement:
Conduct Regular Surveys and Assessments: Engage employees through surveys to gauge their trust in HR and identify areas for improvement.
Anonymous surveys and assessments are essential to uncover mistrust or the experience of every team member.
Commit to Learning and Development: Encourage HR teams to pursue ongoing professional development in areas like conflict resolution, leadership, and emotional intelligence.
Adapt Based on Feedback: Employees appreciate a company that learns and grows based on feedback. Continuously tweaking and refining processes shows that HR is committed to a long-term, healthy culture.
The two-faced HR : Friend or Foe in the Workplace
Conclusion
Building and maintaining trust in HR requires a blend of transparency, empathy, ethical leadership, encouragement, clear policies, and consistent follow-through.
When HR departments embody these qualities, they become more than just a department—they become a trusted support system for employees.
When HR loses trust, it can be hard to recover, but it’s not impossible. By embracing these principles and prioritizing a culture of respect and integrity,
HR can restore trust, repair relationships, and, ultimately, create a work environment where everyone feels valued and supported. Remember, HR’s role as a leader of trust-building efforts has the power to shape a vibrant, thriving workplace culture.
In the wise words of The Charisma Myth, embodying presence, warmth, and power can make an HR team not just a trusted resource but a beacon of positivity and progress in the workplace.
Trust starts with you, and with every interaction, you have the opportunity to build a culture where employees feel genuinely seen, heard, and appreciated.
About the Author:
Kathie Owen is a seasoned Corporate Wellness Professional with over a decade of experience driving wellness initiatives.
Kathie Owen, Corporate Wellness Consultant since 2012 (Our Story)
With a rich background as a certified fitness trainer and life coach since 2002, Kathie combines her practical expertise in health and wellness with a deep understanding of psychological principles, thanks to her degree in Psychology.
Her holistic approach to corporate wellness not only fosters a culture of health and engagement among employees but also supports organizations in achieving their most ambitious wellness goals.
Kathie's Coaching and Consulting reflects her passion for empowering corporate executives to create thriving workplace environments through strategic wellness programs and employee engagement.
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Transcript
Today, we're going to talk about trust in the workplace. What is it? How do we get it? And what happens when trust is broken? This episode is for you. If you're an HR representative, a corporate executive or someone who just wants to build a healthy, happy workplace. And when trust is not existent your workplace is not healthy and not happy. You're listening to Kathie's coaching podcast. I'm your host, Kathie Owen on this podcast, we talk about top workplace wellness and building a healthy, happy culture. One heart at a time today, we're talking about trust in the workplace. What is it? And how do we find it? I'll never forget. Thanksgiving of last year, we had a huge luncheon that was for everybody in the company, except for people who didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, which was not inclusive by the way. But what happened was the executives all sat at this one table at the end of the room. And everybody else sat in their different areas. And this was to celebrate Thanksgiving like a family, kind of, it was supposed to be a family style event. But what it turned into was a trust breaker. What do I mean by that? During this luncheon. The executive vice president got up and gave a speech. He had a slideshow in everything. But this speech was boring. Um, I think he needed to go to Toastmasters and maybe learn. How to communicate with your audience, but what happened was he was talking like he was talking to his board members to the entire team. At a Thanksgiving luncheon. This was not helpful at all. And he was talking about the intricacies of the business, what was happening, where money was going. And his audience lost attention right away. In fact people started talking amongst themselves and you could hear the rustle of the whole entire break room. It was. Awkward. To say the least. But what happened was the CEO decided she was not happy about people not paying attention to this boring speech. She got up and she stood at the table where people were talking, like she stood over him like a teacher. Oh, no, don't do that. Don't do that. And I think she even did this, like told them to be quiet. It was awkward. I'm going to say that a lot. But this is what happens when you lose trust in your team. Because this escalates even more. There's a snowball effect that takes place in here. The CEO got so angry that she ended up firing the people who were talking. During this meeting. Instead of holding up a mirror and looking at it herself and her emotional awareness and her teams. Not emotional awareness. That could have been prevented across the board. And today we're going to talk about how to. Prevent trust breaking because this, like I said, it was a snowball effect. It took place over the last couple of years, I would say over the pandemic years till today, and the snowball got bigger and bigger and bigger and they don't see it. Don't let this be you. And I've been doing research on companies on their workplace culture, and I'm finding that trust is one of the huge factors that gets lost across the board because people are being. Placed in a toxic workplace culture. And they're not. Being. Understood. They're not being listened to. And when this happens, it just makes for the company to lose top talent. Number one, number two, you're going to have quiet, quitting and presenteeism. Number three, you're going to have high turnover. And when you build trust and you build that trust in your team and your workplace. There's a shift that happens. Let's talk about that today. First step. Transparency in your communication. When employees are kept in the loop. They feel respected and valued. And that story. Did you sense the lack of respect and the lack of value in the team members? This was a celebratory luncheon instead of celebrating, we were being reprimanded. We were being forced to listen to something. That wasn't helpful. It wasn't helpful. It wasn't building trust. It was breaking trust. If you want your team to know what's going on inside the business schedule, regular updates, talk to them on a regular basis, go visit them in their departments instead of staying up in your office and not helping the team, not letting them feel heard and understood. And that story I just presented to you. The only people that were heard, whereas the executive team. Not the employees. The employees didn't even understand what was going on behind the scenes, because there had been no regular updates. Another way you can build transparency and better communication is encourage open dialogue. When you encourage open dialogue, you let the employees. Give their voice, their voices heard. Instead of telling them to shish. But he's trying to present something to you that they're not even interested in. When you encourage open dialogue. It builds trust. But you have to encourage it in a way where the team member feels heard as well as respected and valued. A great way to do this, especially if you've broken trust inside the company is to hold anonymous assessments and take a good look at yourself. If that company had held a, an anonymous assessment, they would have realized, oh, wait, I'm sitting at this executive table over here and we're going to be the king and queen of the company. And you're going to be treated like children. But if you took a look in the mirror and understood that you were breaking trust inside the company, by doing that. You're enabling the problem you're enabling quiet, quitting. When you do that. Number two active listening and empathy. Remember trust is built when employees know their voices matter. Schedule regular check-ins with employees. And ask open-ended questions and be ready to look in the mirror, if something does not feel right. And show genuine interest in their professional goals. And their wellbeing. I remember one time the president of the company came down and visited my best friend in her office. This was kind of rare, but he came down there and he sat on her desk and he had a talk with her and he said, Hey, what are your goals for the future? What are you doing right now? Because I envision you taking a higher position in the company. And I see that working for you in your favor, this was a big deal. And this was taking interest in her wellbeing and her professional development. When somebody in the higher up department or human resources actually takes. Interest in their employee's wellbeing. You're building trust. You're actually building trust and you're building the professional development that you want to see happen inside your company. When you don't care, they go to quiet, quitting. High turnover. And presenteeism. And finally. To encourage active listening and empathy. Acknowledge their concerns, even if you don't have the answers, acknowledge that they're feeling discomfort or they're feeling a little bit of fear because somebody is getting fired for talking during. A lunch. Meeting. This was a celebratory event. When you don't acknowledge their concerns or you just tell them, this is how to do it, you're going to lose the trust of your employees. I'm just saying. Did you know that I write a blog post on every single video? I do. I include it in the show notes and description below. And you can get bonus resources there as well as learn more about whatever topic we're talking about, which today was building trust inside your team. I hope to see you there. All right, let's get back into the episode. Number three ethical leadership and accountability. I'm just going to say this right now. Integrity is a non-negotiable. When it comes to building trust. And integrity comes from a place where it's kind of like what you do when nobody's watching or you feel like nobody's watching. Ethical leadership and accountability starts at the top. Starts at the top. But if you're going to hold everybody to that, you need to hold yourself to that as well. Ethical. And accountability. If you make a mistake, apologize, it goes a long way. Simply acknowledge that that happened and it wasn't right. And it doesn't help matters. And lead by example. Leading by example, fosters a culture of fairness. So when you're an HR representative and you're not leading by example, you're telling the team, Hey, this doesn't count for me. I'm not going to get in trouble for this, but you are. And. Okay. Let's say it's happened. Apologize. And. Take a look at yourself and see how you could improve for next time. And it builds a culture of fairness when you hold yourself accountable and you're also ethical in your procedures. Number four chief encouragement officer mentality. Zappos. I did an article on this not too long ago, and I think I'm going to do a video on it as well. If you'd like to see a video on Zappos, chief encouragement officer, please leave a comment in the comments below, and I'll be happy to do that, but they have what is called a chief encouragement officer. And this person is like a corporate wellness director. They foster trust and encouragement inside the team. They am fostered the recognition, the rewards, the. Honor of. Even working inside the culture, it's like a cheerleader for your team. Uh, chief encouragement officer can even like hold workshops on professional development, on leadership, on communication and build that inside your team. When your team members see you inputting professional development inside your programs, they see that, oh, they do care about my wellbeing. They do care about this. They do care about the things that I'm putting in this anonymous survey.'cause that anonymous survey can give you a lot of feedback on where things need to improve because we all need improvement. At some point in time, and this helps us understand where do we need to improve? What do they need? Because a leader in the department is bullying and harassing somebody to get what they want just because they're good at their job does not make that. Okay. And actually you're going to lose top talent. You're going to have high turnover when you have management positions. Bullying and harassing other employees. And not understanding what they need for their wellbeing. A simple solution to that can be a workshop inside the company to help develop emotional intelligence. Social awareness. How to talk to people when you need something done, instead of talking down to people, you communicate with them like adults. Number five. Fair and inclusive policies. Diversity is big across the culture. And here's something that I noticed. Happening with this company that had the Thanksgiving luncheon. Thanksgiving is not celebrated by everybody. A simple solution to that. That is not including these employees that don't celebrate Thanksgiving is taking Thanksgiving out of it. It can be a family luncheon. It's still Thanksgiving in your mind. And that's great. But if we just take Thanksgiving off the table, because I had somebody actually tell me they could not attend the luncheon because it said Thanksgiving. Okay. Take Thanksgiving out and they could attend the luncheon. It's that simple and being aware of where you include and be diverse inside your culture is so important in today's world and especially building trust inside your team. Uh, way to understand if you're not being fair and you're not being diverse and you're not being inclusive is through the anonymous survey. Ask the team. What do you want? Do you want to celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you, do you have an issue with holiday celebrations? Is there a way that would make it more inclusive? And do you feel included in all the activities we do around here? Where do you feel excluded? That's a great question to ask, because if somebody's feeling excluded, you want to know that because that is not being inclusive. And it would be just as simple as taking Thanksgiving. Off of the decorations. That easy. Number six consistent follow through. Trust is all about keeping promises and following through with those promises. On a regular basis. That's how you build trust. And when it's broken, you've got to be consistent and rebuilding that action that happens everywhere across the board, in friendships and relationships. If you betray someone and trust is broken, you've got to do consistent action to prove that you won't break that trust again. And that's how trust is built. It's that simple. Not easy. But simple. You can be clear on your timelines where you're trying to work towards. And deliver on those commitments. And acting on feedback builds trust. So those assessments I'll go back to them. When you find out what kind of feedback you're getting from the company, from the team. You understand what consistent actions you need to take to build that trust? And handle complaints consistently. Across the board. Across the board. You have somebody in cited department who's bullying somebody else that has a connection with the higher ups. This is not okay. You've got to nip that in the bud through those anonymous assessments. And once you know it, you can start taking action to start preventing that from happening. And take visible action so that the employees know their voices mattered. Here's an action that I would have liked to seen take place at that company. Instead of the executives all sitting at this end table. Go and disperse yourselves throughout the entire luncheon. Sit somewhere uncomfortable for you because that's going to show that, oh, I value your opinion instead of. I'm going to fire you because you're talking during a boring lecture. No. If you interact with your employees, guess what you're gonna find. You're gonna find where they're struggling. What they're having problems with. Maybe you can find something that would not even have been on your radar that you could implement inside the company to make it better. Your chief encouragement officer would definitely encourage this. And your chief encouragement officer is a great person to have lead a speech during this type of luncheon. Because that person is going to be qualified to understand what the team needs encouragement about instead of how we're running our business and how we're doing things. No. Well, let's encourage the team. Hey, it's almost the holiday season. I know you're having stress. Here are some stress management tips to help all of us across the board, including your family, which has a ripple effect and goes outside of the company. I work with a motivational speaker and I do motivational speeches myself. And what happens is people get all that encouragement going on inside that speech, but they don't finish implementing it. A corporate wellness consultant. Or a coach or even someone inside your company who is the chief encouragement officer or just your corporate wellness director can help your team. Across the board. And again, it's going to have a ripple effect that spreads throughout the entire culture. And inside their families, which makes for a healthy, happy team. And number seven. Continuous improvement. Trust grows when you show you're committed to improvement. Keep listening, learning, and adapting. Those three things. Keep listening. Keep adapting. And always keep learning. If there's one thing you learned from today's episode. It is taking assessments conduct. Continuous assessments for that feedback, because things are always evolving and things are always changing. And when you understand what's going on, What's the temperature of the team. You will see a major shift in your culture. And your turnaround. And you're quiet. Quitting. You will understand, you will even know who is quiet, quitting, because when you do those assessments, They will tell you. They will happily tell you this person is quite quitting you will even find out when they're goofing off, because those assessments, those anonymous assessments will tell you. Perhaps you don't want to hear it. But that's where the problem lies. That's why your team doesn't trust you. Invest in learning and development for your team. And yourself. Probably most importantly yourself, because when you start investing in that learning and development in yourself, It just spreads. It's the same ripple effect. It has that same ripple effect. I'm constantly learning and adapting and changing ways that I can improve. Team cultures. What helps with that? And what helps with myself as well, to become a better leader, to become a better speaker and help teams develop, help them understand where there's no trust where they're not having trust. And when you find out, oh, I have these leaders have four or five of them right here who are bullying people into doing their work. Because they're good at their job, but this is not okay. All it takes is a simple leadership workshop. To continually develop your team. So they understand how to kindly motivate the team in a way that will make your work even better, make your job even better. And finally actively work to improve policies and processes. Based on your employee input. If you don't take anything else from today's episode, take that. Take your active feedback from your team and find out what is really going on inside the culture. To prevent, lack of trust to prevent that disruption. And improve your policies and processes to constantly be building trust and be building a better culture. Like I always say. We build healthy, happy teams, one heart at a time, because you never know where that one heart is and how the impact of making an influence on that one. Heart can change the entire culture. As I said in a relationship that loses trust trust building does not happen overnight. But with transparency, empathy. And integrity. You can rebuild that trust. You can build a foundation that creates a thriving workplace. All right. That's my episode for today. I trust that you found it helpful. If you know someone who can benefit from this, please share it with them. And until next time I will see you next time. Peace out and Namaste.
