Are You Trusted?

A survey by PwC has indicated that managers generally believe that the level of trust within their organizations is higher than employees think it is. Granted, it’s a rather small sample, but 86% of 548 executives said they think employee trust is high, but 67% of an employee sample of nearly 2050 employees surveyed agreed. That gap has grown over the years, according to PwC. According to their analysts, trust levels have an effect on productivity – more perhaps than on turnover – with people “tuning out” instead of leaving. PwC also noted that trust issues can often begin at the top: 44% of C-Suite denizens said they trust their peers “to a great extent,” while they trust those below C-Suite at a rate of 53%.

The recommendations from PwC are listed as follows: 

• Acknowledge the trust gap. Understand that there may be a difference between what is being measured and actual insights into trust. 

• Treat trust as “a collective responsibility” of an organization. 

• Focus on fostering trust between leaders as a foundation. 

• Tell the company’s story consistently. “Maintaining a unified story without conflicting messages is essential to avoiding confusion and mistrust,” the report said. “Bring your narrative to life by communicating transparently and engaging with stakeholders intentionally and often.”