Employees trust managers more than top brass

HR Magazine, Oct, 2008

All those layoffs, benefits cuts and flavor-of-the-month top-down management plans may be taking a toll on employees' psyches.

In a survey of more than 7,500 workers on four continents, 75 percent said they trust their immediate boss, compared with just 60 percent who trust their organization's senior leaders. The split is greatest among employees in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 75 percent trusting their own managers vs. only about half trusting senior management. The results were released this summer by human resource consultancy BlessingWhite. Two-thirds of the respondents were in North America and India; others were from Europe, Asia and Australia.

BlessingWhite Chief Executive Officer Christopher Rice blames the imbalance on senior leaders who say one thing yet do another. "This is an all-too-common walk-talk disconnect that employees are always quick to detect," he said.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The findings should matter to management because of the close link between trust and employee engagement: The more employees trust management, the more engaged and productive they will be--and vice versa.

Senior managers face a formidable challenge in building or rebuilding trust, Rice warned. "Employees know their immediate supervisor, and such firsthand knowledge makes it easier to establish trust. By comparison, however, senior management seems remote."

Now, how would typical managers and executives respond if asked whether they trust their subordinates?

75% OF EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE TRUST THEIR MANAGER.

60% OF EMPLOYEES TRUST THEIR SENIOR LEADERS.