In Conversation with... Penelope Mantzaris

In the second episode of our “In Conversation with…” podcast series for 2023, Partner Lucy Lewis speaks to Penelope Mantzaris, Senior Vice President at Edelman Data & Intelligence about trust and how it is evolving. “Trust is the foundation that allows an organisation to take responsible risk and to innovate and, if it makes mistakes, to rebound from them”.With the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer hot off the press, Penelope and Lucy consider the role that trust has to play in an increasingly polarised society and what this means for employers. Key takeaways from the conversation: Factors such as distrust in the government, a lack of shared identity in communities and economic pessimism are leading to intense polarisation in society. However, trust in employers remains high. Trust is local. People trust those that they have real interactions with like their neighbours, co-workers and the CEO of their own employer. Consumers and employees are applying pressure to business, buying brands which match their values and choosing to work for companies that have a positive societal impact. CEO behaviour matters.To build trust, leaders must place their trust in employees first, provide information about contentious issues and make employees feel comfortable voicing their opinions. Businesses should use trusted voices at each level of the organisation, particularly if difficult decisions need to be taken.