Policy and Practice | June 2021

A Crisis of Trust Trust in the federal government has declined steadily over the last six decades, from a high of 77 percent in the mid-1960s to a near historic low of 20 percent last year. 1 Even trust in state and local governments, which have traditionally enjoyed a higher level of public confidence, significantly declined during the pandemic. 2 At the outset of the pandemic, many human services programs, already strapped for funding, buckled under an unprecedented surge in demand. At the same time, human services programs were required to quickly implement new federal programs and mandates and change benefit program policies. State H/HS and labor organizations did what was necessary to respond quickly. Too often that meant making changes based on the immediate needs of the govern- ment agency administering the program rather than designing technology, pro- cesses, and communications based on the needs of the people they served. Rebuilding public trust is imperative if H/HS and labor programs are to deliver on their respective safety net missions. The Four Trust Signals Our research suggests that trust can be built and sustained by demonstrating two foundational attri- butes—delivering on the promise, all the time, with competence , and doing so with good intent . Competence refers to the ability to execute. Intent refers to the meaning behind a leader’s actions. The two foundational attributes of competencemanifest themselves in four unique trust signals: humanity and trans- parency —which demonstrate intent, and capability and reliability —which demon- strate competence (see Figure 1). Health and human services and labor agencies can instill confidence and improve public trust by focusing on four areas: n Humanity addresses the perception that an agency genuinely cares for its constituents’ experience and well- being by demonstrating empathy, kindness, and fairness. n Transparency indicates that an agency openly shares information,

motives, and choices related to policy, budget, and program deci- sions in straightforward language. n Capability reflects the belief that an agency can create high-quality programs and services and has the ability to meet expectations effectively. n Reliability shows that an agency can consistently and dependably deliver high-quality programs, services, and experiences to constituents across platforms and geographical locations. Designing for Trust Using a human-centered design approach that embraces the need for trust can provide a foundation for improving mission impact. Trust- building is not a one-off activity. It should be continuous and action- oriented. Building trust often requires changing the status quo and being laser-focused on quickly incorporating changes based on constituent experi- ence and perception. What can H/HS and labor leaders do to start building greater trust? 1. Establish their agency’s trust baseline. Conduct research to establish an agency’s trust baseline. The goal is to understand how users prefer to engage, what their biggest pain points in “doing business” are, and how they perceive programs and services across each of the four trust signals. Start by looking at your agency’s current feedback, reach out to community partners, stand up a survey. There are lots of ways to engage. The most important thing is to get that unvarnished voice of the customer and key stakeholders. Take unemployment insurance (UI), for example. Our research shows that humanity and transparency are the lowest-rated trust signals. Often one of the most challenging experiences UI claimants have is with overpayments, which occur when claimants are paid more than they are entitled to collect. While overpayments can result from fraud, they can also happen when people make honest mistakes due to confusion and a lack of clarity in the process or in the data that are sought. Often UI claimants don’t realize that they need to stop filing for UI when they go back to work, not when they

Amy Freckmann is a specialist leader in Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Customer Strategy and Applied Design practice.

Tiffany Dovey Fishman is a senior manager with Deloitte’s Center for Government Insights.

Kenneth J. Smith is Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Services Transformation leader and national leader and principal for its Integrated Eligibility practice. R. J. Krawiec is a Deloitte Consulting LLP principal and the leader of the Government & Public Services Advertising, Marketing, and Commerce practice.

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Policy&Practice June 2021