ADP CEO Maria Black has a simple message for companies that want more engaged workers: start by asking whether your employees actually trust you. Speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in California, Black said trust and engagement move together, and the numbers back it up.
According to Black, employees who trust their CEO and senior leaders are 41% more likely to be engaged at work. The finding comes from ADP's research, and it puts the focus squarely on leadership behavior rather than on employee attitude.
Trust and Engagement: What ADP's Data Shows
Black explained the connection between trust and engagement in direct terms during her conversation with Fortune executive editorial director Diane Brady. She said the link goes beyond just the top leadership — it also applies to the people employees work with every day.
Employees who trust the people around them at work are 60% more likely to be dialed in, Black said. That number is even higher than the 41% figure tied to trusting CEOs and senior leaders, which suggests that trust at every level of a company matters.
"Trust is a direct corollary to engagement. So if we want to drive engagement, productivity, and a vibrant world of work that, candidly, I want to be in and I want my children to grow up working, we have to focus there." — Maria Black, ADP CEO
Black's comments turn some common thinking about workers on its head. Instead of blaming employees for being disengaged or indifferent about their jobs, the ADP findings point the finger at leadership. If workers do not trust their bosses, engagement drops — and that affects productivity across the company.
Why This Matters for Companies and Workers
The message from Black is that engagement is not something you can demand from employees. It is something leaders have to earn. When trust is missing, no amount of perks, programs, or pep talks will fix the problem.
- Employees who trust their CEO and senior leaders are 41% more likely to be engaged, per ADP's research shared by Black
- Employees who trust the people around them at work are 60% more likely to be dialed in
- Black framed trust as the foundation for engagement, productivity, and a healthy workplace culture
For companies, this means the path to better engagement runs through leadership behavior — honesty, consistency, and follow-through. For workers, it means their level of trust in management is not a side issue. It directly shapes how invested they feel in their jobs.
Our Take: Trust Is the Real Engagement Strategy
In our view, Black's message is a needed correction to how many companies talk about engagement. Too often, the conversation focuses on what employees should do differently — show up more, care more, try harder. ADP's findings flip that. The real question is whether leaders have done enough to earn their people's trust.
The 41% and 60% figures are striking because they show trust is not a soft, feel-good idea. It has a measurable link to whether people are actually engaged at work. Companies that ignore this and keep blaming their workforce are solving the wrong problem.
To put it plainly, trust is not a nice-to-have in the workplace. It is the starting point. If CEOs and senior leaders want engaged teams, they should look in the mirror first — because the data says their employees already are.
