PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT
Majority of UK workforce don't trust those at the top
Managers need to do more if they want to earn the trust of their employees and to ensure they feel fairly treated, according to the latest survey into employee attitudes from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
The CIPD survey, which was carried out by David Guest of The Management Centre, Kings College, University of London and Neil Conway of the School of Management and Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck College, London, found that trust in senior management is declining, particularly in the private sector. Only 25% of all employees are willing to place a "lot of trust" in senior management to look after their interests and 41% place "little or no trust" in them to do so.
Trust in line managers also falling
It is not only top management who have problems -- trust in employees' immediate line manager has also declined, dropping in the private sector by over 10% over the past two years. Furthermore, fewer than half of respondents say their supervisor motivates them and only 37% say their line manager actually helps them improve performance.
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A final word
"Trust is a key element in the psychological contract between employers and employees. If employees have a positive psychological contract, this means they will show higher levels of satisfaction, motivation and commitment to the organisation. Research shows these factors are important in helping employers reduce absence, retain staff and solve recruitment difficulties. So if employees don't trust their employer, or don't feel they are being treated fairly, this will be reflected in their lack of commitment and underperformance.
"The survey shows that employers need to work a lot harder in order to get the best from their staff. Good communication is key -- consulting people about change and ensuring they feel involved in the decision making process -- is basic good management. But too many firms are not getting the basics right." -- Mike Emmott, CIPD employee relations adviser.
Want to know more?
Title: Employee Well-being and the Psychological Contract 2004, by David Guest and Neil Conway, published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Methodology: The survey is the ninth in the series and is based on responses from over 1,000 UK employees drawn from both private and public sectors. It explores trends in employee attitudes to work and relationships with managers and colleagues and provides a consistent baseline against which UK organisations can benchmark their own employment relationships.
Availability: The report is priced at £50 to non-members and £20 for CIPD members. You can order CIPD books from tel: 0870 800 3366, from business bookshops or via the CIPD website at www.cipd.co.uk/bookstore
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has over 120,000 members and is the "leading professional body for those involved in the management and development of people". For more information visit www.cipd.co.uk
Posted 21 January 2005