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More than half of employees are "not bothered" about their work, as the result of corporate scandals eroding their trust in senior leaders.
This is according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which published its latest Quarterly Employee Outlook report today.
The survey, which polled 2,000 UK workers' engagement and attitudes to their professional lives, found that 58% of employees show signs of a "not bothered" attitude to their work. By contrast, only 36% trust their senior leaders.
The CIPD said that the findings reflect the impact of recent corporate scandals, which have eroded employees' relationships with their organisations and leaders, and warned that long-term employee engagement could be at risk.
Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, said: "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. What's worrying is the impact this will have on engagement. We know that strong employee engagement drives higher productivity and better business outcomes, so such a prominent display of 'neutral engagement' in the workplace should act as a real wake up call for employers.
"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. The HR profession is uniquely positioned to help organisations properly understand existing cultures and behaviours, to re-examine and re-define corporate values and to revisit the way in which those values are reinforced, incentivised and rewarded through the day-to-day behaviours by managers - from the very top, down to the front line.
"Employees also need to believe their views are respected and that they have a voice in the organisation, otherwise there is a risk that when things go wrong, no one tells the executive team until it is too late. Just as importantly, empowered and engaged employees are able to provide customer inspired innovation and ensure organisations' products and services adapt quickly to take advantage of fast changing markets."
The survey also found that just 24% of employees feel consulted by senior managers about key issues that affect the business, and only 40% are satisfied with the opportunities that e
