CFO Slice

Deloitte's U.S. Human Capital Practice leader Simona Spelman has warned that declining workplace trust can dramatically undermine employee motivation, particularly as companies accelerate artificial intelligence adoption. Speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, Spelman identified reliability, transparency, capability, and humanity as the four pillars of trust. Deloitte data shows that 82% of employees are motivated to perform at their best when none of these factors is distrusted, but that figure falls to 37% when just one is distrusted, and to 7% when all four are distrusted. Catalyst research also highlights concerns about AI-related workplace changes, with 68% of leaders reporting employee reskilling plans, while only 34% of employees believe AI training is accessible to everyone. Spelman noted that approximately 93% of AI investment goes toward technology, compared with just 7% toward people, emphasizing that organizations must prioritize employee development, transparency, and human capabilities to maintain trust and engagement.