LumApps Research: Only 25% of UK workforce fully trusts their company leadership

Our new survey of over 3,000 UK workers has found that only 25% have ‘full trust’ in their company leadership. 

The survey found that distrust among employees towards leaders is rife, with almost 1 in 5 (19%) employees saying they either do not particularly trust their company leadership (15%) or they do not trust their company leadership at all (4%). 

The survey also reveals that the older the employee is, the more their distrust increases. Just 1.6% of 22-27-year-olds say they do not trust their company leadership at all. Whereas over 9% of 55-73-year-olds feel the same. 

Commenting on the findings, Sean Winter, VP Strategy at LumApps said: “The issue of trust is important in any area of our lives, but particularly in the workplace and especially between leaders and employees. If employees don’t trust the decisions being made by their leaders this will quickly lead to misalignment and ultimately impact on the quality of work being delivered. The fact that only 25% of the UK’s workforce fully trusts their leadership is a concerning statistic and must be a wakeup call for our business leaders who need to evolve both their leadership styles and methods of communication to their employees.

On the issue of changing patterns of trust for older members of the workforce, Winter added:

Ensuring our workforce, whatever their age, feels valued and listened to is crucial as our population ages. Something is clearly going wrong for this section of the workforce.

The findings on trust are at odds with what people want in the workplace. The survey found that authentic leadership and honest communication are important to 93% of all respondents, with 65% classifying these areas as ‘very important’. Only 0.23% of respondents said this wasn’t important at all.

Engagement with a company’s values appears to be high as almost 9 in 10 (87%) employees surveyed say they know the values of their business. Importantly, there is a clear correlation between happy and engaged employees and knowing the values of the business. Those who trust in their company leadership are more likely than those who don’t trust their company’s leadership to know the values of their business.

ENDS.

Survey methodology

Censuswide surveyed 9042 employees (Aged 22+) from France, USA and UK between 21.10.2022 – 15.11.2022.

Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. 

Censuswide is a member of the British Polling Council (BPC).