Communication & transparency | 1 in 4 employees don't trust their CEO - here's why

More than one quarter of employees don’t trust their CEO to be honest and transparent, with a similar number of staff feeling the same way about their firm’s senior leaders, new research has found.

The study found that over one quarter (26%) of employees in the UK do not trust their CEO to be open, while 24% do not trust their senior leadership to do the same.

Personio, Europe’s leading HR software company for small and mid-sized businesses, surveyed 2,000 employees in the UK, finding that transparency and employer-employee communication are pivotal to a positive employee experience and trust in the workplace.

Employees do not feel listened to

The research finds that feeling unheard by leadership could be fuelling employees’ distrust. Over a quarter (28%) of employees surveyed say that they are not given a chance to share feedback to leadership on their experiences. Meanwhile, less than half (46%) of employees feel that leadership in their organisation actually listens and acts on any feedback when given from staff.