Why trust and connection are the foundations of workplace culture

Organisations can build stronger workplace cultures by fostering trust and connection, regularly reviewing the value of HR initiatives, and ensuring leaders model the change they expect from others.

In a recent episode of the HR Leader podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy spoke with Grant Wyatt, the head of human resources at Ensign Laboratories.

The conversation explored Wyatt’s professional journey in the HR sector and addressed current anxieties regarding workforce engagement, examining whether it has become more challenging to achieve in the present landscape.

Additionally, they discussed the core elements of a robust workplace culture, strategies for navigating generational differences, and the effectiveness of various initiatives aimed at enhancing culture and maintaining alignment with organisational objectives.

Wyatt explained the two core elements of trust and connection, which he believed were essential for building a high-performing workplace culture.

“Trust, meaning that you have this full spectrum of honesty in conversations, clear but kind in terms of how they’re approached in a workplace, clear on what the priorities are, clear in terms of the direction that we’re heading in and that that feedback process is genuinely two-way,” Wyatt said.

Furthermore, Wyatt emphasised that meaningful work and personal growth strengthened employees’ connection to the organisation.

“I think when all of those elements are in the mix, which are really the fundamentals, that is what unlocks a true, phenomenal culture, if you sort of get that recipe right,” Wyatt said.

Wyatt also argued that HR had become better at introducing new initiatives than removing ineffective ones.

“My global view of human resources is that we’re very good at adding, I’m not so sure we’re good at subtracting,” he said.

He challenged HR to critically assess whether its initiatives were genuinely creating value.

“Have we always truly tested everything that we’ve included in our offering against the value it should deliver and then retested to go, is it delivering that?” he said.

Wyatt also stressed that HR practitioners needed to embody the change they expected from others.

“I think it’s always good practice to hold up the mirror first and ensure that you’re match fit and living the change first,” he said.

He concluded by describing his vision for HR’s future role in transforming work itself.

“I believe you move from HR being the department that tries to make work feel better to start to make work work better,” Wyatt said.

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