Trust Isn’t Just a Good Philosophy: It’s HR Infrastructure
Trust isn’t expendable — it’s the hidden infrastructure of ethical, high-performing workplaces. In this piece, we explore why HR must serve as a steward of trust, backed by timeless philosophies and grounded ethics.
I’ve been wanting to write an article (or maybe two) about Trust for a while now.
The topic has been swirling in my mind during the slow, sometimes overwhelming process of unpacking, purging, and settling back into my home in Silicon Valley after a monumental move from Austin.
As background noise—something my neurodivergent brain needs while sorting through boxes—I’ve had the sitcom The Good Place playing on loop. If you’ve seen it, you know moral philosophy is baked into the plot.
Somehow, the show’s philosophy bits and my Trust article brainstorming got intertwined, which led me to some personal research. One line I came across recently stopped me:
“Philosophy is the search for the self-evident.”
That got me thinking: Why isn’t it self-evident that trust lies at the heart of HR?
Some of you work with People teams who live and breathe that principle. But many don’t. And that’s worth contemplation, especially in light of high-profile failures in recent years.
Take the Rolling Stone exposé on The Tonight Show a couple of years back. Employees went to HR to raise concerns about a toxic work culture. Instead of handling those concerns discreetly, HR disclosed the names of employees to leadership, and those employees were subsequently fired.
What is HR’s responsibility here? More specifically, why do I believe so strongly that protecting trust is non-negotiable?
Since I didn’t major in Moral Philosophy (and don’t moonlight as a professor of Ethics), I turned to ChatGPT for a gut check. And what I found surprised me: this expectation—that HR upholds confidentiality and protects employee dignity—isn’t just a personal Lodestar. It’s consistent with several major schools of ethical thought.
Philosophies That Support HR as a Steward of Trust
Virtue Ethics (Aristotle)
Philosophical core: Focuses on character and moral virtues rather than just rules or outcomes. The question isn’t “What should I do?” but “What kind of person should I be?”
Applied to HR:
- HR professionals are moral actors, not mere policy enforcers.
- Trust becomes a reflection of who you are—a virtuous person doesn’t betray confidences because it violates integrity.
- Culture is built on character; integrity isn’t a checkbox.
Care Ethics (Gilligan, Noddings)
Philosophical core: Prioritizes relationships, empathy, and context, stressing the ethical responsibility to respond to others' vulnerability with care.
Applied to HR:
- HR engages with individuals who are in distress or experiencing uncertainty.
- Care ethics reframes HR as relational stewards, not neutral administrators.
- Confidentiality protects dignity; empathy and discretion aren’t “soft”—they’re core to ethical leadership.
Kantian Ethics (Immanuel Kant)
Philosophical core: People must be treated as ends in themselves, never as means to an end. Actions are right when they respect human dignity and can be universalized.
Applied to HR:
- Revealing an employee’s concern for political reasons treats them as a means.
- Confidentiality aligns with the duty to respect autonomy and dignity.
- Upholding trust isn’t just kind—it’s morally required.
Organizational Ethics / Systems Thinking (Senge, Meadows)
Philosophical core: Organizations function as interconnected systems. Outcomes are products of system design, not just individual choices.
Applied to HR:
- If HR policies don’t safeguard trust, systems produce untrustworthy outcomes—even with well-intentioned people.
- Betrayal of trust isn’t just a personal failing; it’s a design flaw.
- Trust isn’t optional; it’s the infrastructure that shapes engagement, safety, and innovation.
Philosophies That (Mis)Justify Betraying Trust in HR
To sharpen the point, let’s consider philosophies that can be misused to justify the opposite approach:
Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill)
Philosophical core: The right action maximizes utility: the greatest good for the greatest number.
Applied to HR:
- Breaking confidentiality could be justified if it “helps the company.”
- Problem: Flattens human dignity and erodes long-term trust.
Legal Positivism / Bureaucratic Ethics (Weber)
Philosophical core: Ethics is defined by formal rules; if something isn’t explicitly prohibited, it’s acceptable.
Applied to HR:
- “If our policies don’t require confidentiality, I don’t owe it.”
- Problem: Ethical hollowing—technical compliance replaces moral judgment.
Ethical Egoism (Stirner)
Philosophical core: Morally right actions serve one’s own interests.
Applied to HR:
- “Better to protect my job than safeguard employee trust.”
- Problem: Self-protection erodes ethical behavior and treats trust as expendable.
Objectivism (Ayn Rand)
Philosophical core: Rational self-interest and productivity are paramount; empathy is weakness.
Applied to HR:
- “The organization’s mission matters most; individual concerns get in the way.”
- Problem: Cultures become unsafe; psychological safety dies here.
What’s striking is that even these counterpoint philosophies implicitly acknowledge trust and conscience matter—but treat them as expendable when weighed against utility, hierarchy, or personal safety.
That begs the question:
Is there a stronger argument—one that sees trust not as conditional, but as essential?
Not a nice-to-have. Not a trade-off. But the very ground ethical systems stand on.
The Tonight Show story is a case study in what happens when HR functions as an extension of power rather than a steward of trust.
It sends a chilling message:
You are not safe here.
Speaking up will cost you.
Confidentiality is a myth.
When that message spreads, people shut down. Cultures calcify. Innovation grinds to a halt.
That’s why trust isn’t optional. It’s not idealistic. It’s not naive.
It’s infrastructure—the quiet architecture that holds everything else up.
Workplaces that value trust don’t happen by accident. They are built deliberately and with care. It starts with leadership, and in turn, the HR folks they hire. These People professionals serve a critical role in modeling, reinforcing, and protecting that trust in every interaction until it becomes, at last, self-evident.