| | A survey of more than
1,100 UK employees by
Mercer Human Resource
Consulting reveals a
high level of distrust
in management. The
survey found that fewer
than 4 in 10 employees
(36%) trust senior
managers to always
communicate honestly -
down slightly from 39%
in 2002.
The findings are
similar to a recent
Mercer survey in the US
where only 40% of
employees trust
management to
communicate honestly.
The survey also found
that levels of trust
decline with length of
service. Fifty-seven per
cent of employees with
less than a year's
service trust management
to communicate honestly,
but this figure declines | |
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| | to just 26% for
employees with 15 or
more years' service.
Dr. Patrick Gilbert,
Head of Organisational
Research & Effectiveness
at Mercer, said: "It is
particularly worrying
that long-serving
employees - who know
most about their
organisations - trust
management the least."
He added: "Employees
tend to be especially
distrustful of
management in times of
organisational change as
they can feel less
secure in their jobs and
uncertain about their
future in the
organisation. But trust
is crucial for change to
be successful, otherwise
staff will not believe
the messages
communicated by
management."
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Furthermore, only
half the employees
surveyed (53%) feel
their organisation does
a good job of keeping
employees informed about
matters that affect
them.
"Employees often
suspect that far more
goes on behind closed
doors than managers let
on. As well as
questioning the
information they receive
from management, many
employees worry they are
not being told the whole
story," said Dr Gilbert.
"The more accessible and
visible managers are,
the more likely
employees are to trust
them and have confidence
in the organisation."
Management contact
Fewer than half the
respondents (48%) think
there is sufficient | |
|
| | contact between managers
and employees in their
organisation, while only
58% think their manager
does a good job of being
available when needed.
"Many line managers
get caught up with
short-term operational
goals and do not make
enough time for their
staff. What they may not
realise is that regular
meetings are an
important part of
effective people
management, which is
directly linked to
employee engagement and
ultimately affects
company performance,"
commented Dr Gilbert.
Organisational
values
The survey also found
that 58% of employees
feel their organisation
has communicated its
company values clearly | |
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| | to employees. However,
fewer than half of
employees (45%) think
management behaves in a
way which is consistent
with company values
while just 35% feel that
what their organisation
says it values is
consistent with what it
actually rewards.
"A company's values
provide a touchstone for
guiding and evaluating
behaviours, but these
values only become
meaningful if managers
adopt them and lead by
example," said Dr
Gilbert. "If these
values are ignored by
those at the top of the
organisation, employees
can become disaffected
and cynical."
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