Trust in organisational leadership is under strain, according to Personio’s 2024 Workforce Pulse report.
The HR software company surveyed 7,000 employees and 3,500 HR decision-makers across Europe, uncovering key challenges in trust, transparency, and workplace culture.
The findings reveal that trust in senior leadership is low, with only 21 percent of employees expressing great trust in their CEO and 20 percent in senior leadership teams. These results contrast sharply with the 70 percent of employers who believe their employees trust their leadership.
Disconnect Between Leadership and Employees
Personio’s research underlines a disconnect in perceptions of psychological safety. While 73 percent of employers believe employees feel safe voicing opinions and being themselves at work, only 57 percent of employees agree. Similarly, 71 percent of employers think leadership is transparent in decision-making, but just 49 percent of employees share this view.
The data exposes a troubling mismatch in how trust is perceived by employers and employees. Employers appear more optimistic about trust and transparency, leaving them disconnected from their employees’ concerns. However, the mistrust is not one-sided. The study looked into the growing tension surrounding hybrid and remote work arrangements, and found that just under half of employers trust their employees to ‘pull their weight’ while working remotely.
Among European businesses surveyed, hybrid working remains prevalent. Only 26 percent of organisations require desk-based workers to be in the office five days a week. Most employers expect three to four days in the office (40%), while 24 percent require one to two days, and 7 percent mandate just one to two days a month. Despite this, 40 percent of employees believe going to the office is a waste of time and money, and 33 percent say they would consider quitting if asked to return more than three days a week.
Distrust persists on the employer side, with only 51 percent of organisations believing employees perform well while working remotely. This was likely a factor when 71 percent of employers chose to mandate specific in-office requirements; however, these return-to-office (RTO) policies are causing further strain.
Employees report feeling misled, with 30 percent of desk-based workers saying their employer has made false promises about hybrid working. Such mixed messages contribute to the erosion of trust and highlight the need for clearer communication between leadership and employees.
“High levels of trust go hand in hand with a good company culture and happy employees,” Personio’s Workforce Pulse report reads. “But with today’s employees now expecting more from leadership when it comes to transparency, fairness and respect, trust can be hard to win and easy to lose.”
