Interaction Associates Report Finds Most Employees Do Not Trust Their Boss

 Interaction Associates has released its annual workplace trust research, “Building Workplace Trust 2014/15,”and found that more than half of the people surveyed give their organization low marks for trust and effective leadership. Additionally, a quarter of those surveyed say they trust their boss less this year than in 2013. More than half of those surveyed gave their organization low-to-poor marks for trust and effective leadership.

When asked to rate the statement “Employees have a high level of trust in management and the organization”, just 4 out of 10 agreed that it described their organization well. The majority (58 percent) found their organization lacking.

Leadership effectiveness also took a hit in the report as fewer than half of those surveyed(45 percent)agree that the statement “My organization has effective leadership” describes their organization well.

More than half of those surveyed 54 percent) say they feel safe communicating their ideas and opinions with colleagues and peers. Only 38 percent of those surveyed say that people feel safe communicating their ideas and opinions with leadership.

Additional Findings from the report include:

• High-Trust Companies are far more likely than Low-Trust to have highly engaged and involved workforces and better employee retention.
• Trust leaders prioritize innovation and are more likely than trust laggards to be innovative (65 percent vs. 14 percent). Additionally, eight out of ten employees report that a high level of trust inside an organization fosters both innovation and investment in new projects.