Businesses must check their bosses' behaviour to improve workplace culture from the top down, after a survey reveals that two-thirds of employees do not trust their leader.
Research published in the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) 'Employee Outlook' implied an inherent lack of trust in senior management, perhaps a knock-on effect of the recent, very public organisational scandals in the finance industry.
The report found that just 36 per cent of respondents said they trusted their CEO, peoplemanagement.co.uk reports. Less than a quarter said that they were ever consulted by senior staff about company-wide matters. A further 60 per cent said that they were unhappy with the opportunities for feeding views and ideas upward.
The findings highlight the importance of leadership development, to ensure that future bosses possess not only the technical expertise, but the behavioural competencies in order to successfully inspire, lead and command respect from their workforce.
Commenting on the results, CIPD chief executive, Peter Cheese, told grapevine.com: "Given the number of examples reported in the media in recent months of unethical behaviours and corrosive cultures overseen by senior leaders, it is perhaps unsurprising to see trust in the workplace eroding.
"Now, more than ever, organisations need to pay close attention to the impact the behaviours of senior leaders is having on the rest of the workforce and consider how they can improve corporate culture from the top down."