The Importance Of Trust In Flexible Work Arrangements

I’ve talked to LOTS of caregivers and almost every single one has said that the most important thing to ensure their success is flexibility. Flexibility of where and how they work is the most important factor in their ability to perform at high levels. But what does flexibility mean? Ultimately, it means that you have healthy trust on your team. They trust you to clearly outline objectives and timelines. You trust them to manage the work and pivot in turn. They trust that you will measure outcomes as the key indicator of performance. You trust them to deliver those outcomes. They trust you to impose feasible and reasonable workloads. You trust them to proactively communicate when workloads start to exceed sustainable capacity. Everything else becomes inconsequential – the how, where, and when that contributes to the agreed upon outcomes become open-ended options that can be applied based on need. Flexibility is letting go of the stagnant vision of what work is “supposed” to look like, and focusing on what the work delivers.

In our latest Workforce Index survey of more than 10K desk workers around the globe, my team at Slack spotted a curious finding in the data. Workers who are using AI aren’t just more productive, they also show notably higher scores for employee engagement and experience, including:  👍 +23% ability to manage stress 😄 +24% overall satisfaction with work 🙌 +25% flexibility ❤️ +29% more likely to say they feel highly passionate about their work Slack researchers aren’t the only ones seeing this connection; I know others who study desk workers are also finding similar trends in their data sets. People who use AI at work just seem to be having an all-around markedly better time on the job. So what’s up with that? Is it some kind of AI magic? Here’s my theory, based on clues in the data: the unifying factor is not AI. It’s trust. In analyzing survey responses, we found that desk workers who feel trusted by their employers are 94% more likely to have tried AI for work-related tasks. And that tracks with a key learning we’ve long observed in our research: interpersonal trust pops as the number one driver of employee productivity and engagement — more than years of experience an employee has, their job level, where they work (remote, hybrid, in-office), or numerous other factors we measure.  The teams with high degrees of interpersonal trust are the teams that feel the safest and most supported to experiment with new technologies, including AI. They have more flexibility and less stress. Employees who feel trusted also feel the most satisfaction and passion for their work. Distrust within a team, particularly feeling like your manager doesn’t trust you, withers productivity and inhibits innovation. Trust, on the other hand, acts like fuel. 🚀 My takeaway? Feeling trusted to succeed is the key that unlocks workplace success. If you want to ready your team for the AI revolution, you must show your employees you trust them.

Companies think employees care about fancy coffee machines and branded swag. Employees actually care about respect, empathetic leadership, trust, and flexibility. While companies debate which coffee brand to stock in the kitchen, their best people are leaving because they don't feel valued or trusted. Here's what I've learned after working with hundreds of companies and students: The companies with the lowest turnover aren't the ones with the best perks. They're the ones where people feel genuinely respected and heard. Here are 3 actionable ways to start closing this gap: 1. Replace status updates with real check-ins → Instead of "How's the project going?" ask "What support do you need to succeed?" Listen to the answer and act on it. 2. Make transparency a weekly habit → Share company wins, losses, and decisions openly. Even if you can't share everything, explain why you can't. People respect honesty over silence. 3. Give flexibility before people ask → Don't wait for burnout. Proactively offer flexible hours or remote days. Trust your team to manage their time like adults. Your ping pong table isn't keeping anyone. Your culture is. Stop asking "What perks can we add?" and start asking "How can we make people feel more valued?" The data is clear. The question is: are you listening? What matters most to you in a workplace? Let me know in the comments! ♻️ Repost if you found this insightful 👊 Follow Ford Coleman for more!