Only 19% Of Employees Trust Their Leaders—Workplace Expert Shares Tips On How To Address It

Global confidence in leadership is weakening at a pace that cannot be ignored. Gallup’s recent data show that only 19% of employees agree they trust their organization’s leadership, down from 24% in 2019. What’s even more telling is that only 16% feel enthusiastic about the future under the current leadership.

These numbers underscore a deeper issue that extends beyond dissatisfaction, as they indicate a disconnect between executives and the people they lead.

Fineas Tatar, leadership expert and co-CEO of executive assistant service Viva, comments:

“Trust us a visibility problem. Employees cannot trust leaders they rarely see making decisions, communicating clearly, or slowing up consistently. When executives lose hours every week to low-value tasks, they’re losing productivity and the opportunity to lead in a way people can witness and believe in.”

Fineas highlights three main areas of concern executives need to address:

The visibility problem 

Many executives have become operationally invisible. When leaders spend their days buried in administrative tasks and calendar chaos, they lose the capacity for the consistent, meaningful interactions that build trust. Employees notice when leadership is present in name only.

The communication disconnect 

Only about 22% of employees feel their leaders communicate a clear plan of action. Trust isn't built through town halls and company-wide emails alone—it's built through consistent follow-through and transparent decision-making that employees can actually see.

The middle management squeeze 

When middle managers burn out, the bridge between leadership vision and frontline reality collapses. Executives who don't address this bottleneck will continue watching trust erode from the inside out.

Actionable strategies Fineas recommends:

1. Audit where your time actually goes. Most executives underestimate how much of their week disappears into low-value tasks. Reclaiming even five to ten hours weekly creates space for the strategic conversations and visible leadership that rebuild trust.

2. Make your decision-making process visible. Employees don't need to agree with every call—they need to understand the reasoning. Document and share the "why" behind significant decisions, even uncomfortable ones.

3. Invest in your middle managers' capacity, not just their workload. If your managers are drowning, they can't translate your vision effectively. Give them the support systems to lead, not just execute.

4. Create consistent touchpoints that aren't crisis-driven. Trust compounds through regular, predictable engagement; not just when something goes wrong.

Fineas adds:

“Trust compounds through small and consistent actions. The leaders who will close this gap are the ones who reclaim enough time to make their decision-making visible, invest in their middle managers, and create predictable touchpoints with their teams. It's not complicated, but it does require protecting your time fiercely."