How to build a culture of trust and trustworthiness in the workplace

This article is part of the series “Science Behind the Way we Work” aimed at providing public servants with practical, evidence-based advice to help improve the way we work. By combining insights gleaned from cognitive, behavioural and organisational science, we offer readers actionable tips that they can immediately implement in their jobs.

Publication | 2025

Organisational Transformation

Trust matters. It is the glue that holds relationships together – in organisations it fosters collaboration and drives productivity. A strong culture of trust underpins many positive aspects of the workplace, creating environments in which individuals feel safe, valued and empowered to contribute their best. This article explores what science can tell us about interpersonal trust in the workplace, and what evidence-informed, practical tips it can give us to help build and maintain trust in our teams.

You can download the article (pdf) in the Resources section below.
Access all the articles from the series The Science Behind the Way We Work.

Resources

How to build a culture of trust and trustworthiness in the workplace (Science Behind series)

Authors	Laurine HERIS
Originally published	26 Nov 2025
Related organisation(s)	JRC - Joint Research Centre EC - European Commission
Knowledge service \| Metadata	Organisational Transformation
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)	Organisation of work

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

How to build a culture of trust and trustworthiness in the workplace

The Science Behind the Way We Work

Collaborative Policymaking

Managing conflicts for improved collaboration