The hidden trust tax: Building culture during internal change

Change doesn’t just disrupt systems. It tests trust.

Reorgs. M&A. New leadership. Budget shifts. Tool rollouts.

Internal change isn’t rare anymore. It’s constant. And every change carries a cost — not just in process disruption or productivity dips, but in something that’s harder to see and far more expensive: trust.

In this virtual fireside chat, culture and communications expert Jen Randle introduces the idea of the hidden trust tax — the performance drain caused by mixed signals, misalignment, and credibility gaps. Together, we’ll explore how internal comms can either expose fracture or reinforce coherence, and what it really takes to build community when employees are navigating uncertainty.

This isn’t your average checklist webinar. It’s a candid conversation about what’s actually happening inside organizations during change. Expect real talk on courage, clarity, and the institutional signals that demonstrate care.

What we’ll unpack:

• What the “hidden trust tax” really is — and how to spot it
• Why transparency isn’t the same as clarity
• How credibility gaps form (even with good intentions)
• The role of courage in repairing fractured trust
• How internal comms can build community — not just distribute updates
• What it means to operationalize employee care through systems, tools, and signals

What you’ll walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of how trust impacts performance during change
• A framework for identifying hidden credibility gaps
• Language to reframe comms as a strategic driver — not just a delivery function
• Practical ways to build community and coherence during uncertainty

Who should attend:

• Internal communications leaders
• Employee experience professionals
• HR and people teams navigating change
• Culture and transformation leads
• Anyone responsible for “making the message land” during uncertainty

If you’ve ever thought, “We’re communicating constantly — so why does it still feel misaligned?” This is for you.

Meet the speaker: Jen Randle

Jen Randle helps organizations do the hard work of rebuilding trust.

A strategist and systems thinker, Jen partners with companies navigating crucible moments — when alignment is shaky, credibility is strained, and surface fixes won’t cut it. As co-architect of SGNL, she designs the trust networks that allow strategy, culture, and reputation to move in sync.

Her client roster includes brands like Nike, Pinterest, Virgin, Juul Labs, WeWork, and Starbucks. In 2018, she played a key role in guiding Starbucks’ response to a racially charged incident — shaping a company-wide unconscious bias conversation across 175,000 employees in 8,000 stores.

Jen’s work sits at the intersection of leadership, culture, and communication — grounded in one belief: Trust is the multiplier behind performance.