This HR Executive Went to a Crime Scene With Her Team and Trust Changed Overnight. Here’s Why |
This HR Executive Went to a Crime Scene With Her Team and Trust Changed Overnight. Here’s Why
This executive rebuilt credibility by doing the work, not defending the policy.
BY NETTA JENKINS, FOUNDER, HIC; WORKPLACE CONSULTING FIRM | AUTHOR OF SUPERCHARGED TEAMS
Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images
Globally, HR has a trust problem.
Ask employees why they hesitate to go to HR and the answers are painfully consistent: HR protects the company. It is not confidential. HR shows up too late. It has never worked my job.
Many employees carry scars from past experiences where speaking up led to retaliation, silence, or policy citations instead of support.
Data supports this skepticism. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust is built through competence, transparency, and shared experience, yet employees cite lack of transparency and distance from decision-makers as primary trust breakers at work.
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This perception has turned HR into one of the most misunderstood and distrusted functions inside organizations. Jessica Winder, Chief People Officer, chose to dismantle that belief the hardest way possible: by earning trust one role at a time.
Why employees don’t trust HR
The distrust did not happen overnight. It is the cumulative effect of patterns employees recognize quickly:
HR policies written for worst-case scenarios instead of real people
Leaders who have never done the frontline work making decisions about it
Feedback loops that favor executives over employees
HR showing up after damage is already done
According to Gallup, employees who distrust leadership are significantly less engaged and more likely to leave, regardless of pay or benefits. When HR is perceived as detached from the work, trust evaporates.