A Lack of Trust and Confidence: Majority of Canadian employees don't believe their senior leaders

Government, retail and transportation industries report lowest levels of confidence

TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - For the first time in Canada, a national survey has looked at how employees feel about trust and confidence in their leaders and their level of engagement in the workplace.  The findings reveal what organizations fear: 61 per cent of Canadian employees don't trust their senior leaders.

Canadian Management Centre and Ipsos Reid undertook the survey "Build a Better Workplace: Employee Engagement Edition" in August.  It asked more than 1,200 Canadian employees - in companies with more than 100 employees - across 15 diverse sectors including financial services, high tech and manufacturing.  The research found that only 39 per cent of Canadians trust what their senior leaders say and less than four in 10 feel that senior leadership is doing a good job of communicating what is happening in their workplace.  The findings identify and quantify the direct connection between effective leadership communication and its impact on employee engagement. For more information about the complete report or to purchase a copy, contact Canadian Management Centre at 1-877-262-2500.

"We knew that leadership trust and confidence was an issue in Canada, but we were surprised to reveal the actual low level of trust that working Canadians have in the leaders of the organizations in which they work. And, that this low level exists, despite the significant financial investment and efforts of organizations to improve this perception in recent years.  Organizations need to take notice and properly address the issues around employee engagement, trust and confidence in their leaders, because getting it right will ultimately benefit their bottom line and long-term success," said John Wright, president and managing director, Canadian Management Centre.

Employee engagement is a leading indicator of performance and competitiveness and not to be confused with employee satisfaction.  It goes much deeper and according to Canadian Management Centre an engaged employee cares about the future of the organization and is willing to invest on their own initiative to see that it succeeds.

"In working with thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of Canadians over the past 50 years, we have seen first-hand the direct link between employee engagement and organizational performance. In fact, most successful organizations also have high engagement levels, and companies that choose to ignore employee engagement do so at their peril," added Wright.

"What makes the 'Build a Better Workforce' study unique is that the perspectives of both Canadian employees and those in human resources-related roles within organizations have been included," said Trevor Clarke, vice president with Ipsos Reid.  "Analyzing the differences between these two distinct groups provides new insight on what it means to be an engaged employee. How organizations align with employees to get the most out of individual efforts? What are the pain points for employees?  Does employee engagement matter to your customers? Build a Better Workplace is your guide to understanding not only what employee engagement means, but how it can help your organization focus resources to build an engaged workforce in your organization."

The good news is that it is never too late to address employee engagement.  Canadian Management Centre is committed to improving the performance of individuals, business leaders and organizations through proven corporate training and professional development programs.  Managers as leaders have the broadest reach in organizations and can play a critical role in creating a culture of engagement.  They can be enabled through training to build strong trusting relationships with their employees and to empower them to achieve higher levels of performance that will directly impact organizational results.

Canadian Management Centre is hosting a series of presentations, in partnership with Ipsos Reid, across Canada to share key findings as part of its annual National Thought Leaders Series - "How a Lack of Trust and Confidence in Business Leaders is Destroying Employee Engagement- and What To Do About It."  The series kicks off in Calgary on October 18 and travels to Regina, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.  The events are complimentary and will also explore strategies that can help to improve employee engagement.  Advance registration is required by visiting the website at http://www.cmcoutperform.com/building-a-better-workplace . For general inquiries about the sessions, please call 1-877-262-2500.

The survey was conducted between July 31 and August 17, 2012, and a sample of 1,200 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel were interviewed online in addition to 500 human resource professionals.  The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval.  In this case, the poll is accurate to +/- 3.2 percentage points of all Canadian employees and +/- 5 percentage points for human resources professionals in Canada.

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology and telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Canadian Management Centre

Established in 1963, Canadian Management Centre is Canada's leading premier talent transformation company, helping organizations and leaders outperform in the workplace by delivering real-life, award-winning corporate learning and professional development solutions. It has locations across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Kitchener/Waterloo, Mississauga, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.  Its annual National Thought Leader Series brings value-added ideas with insightful and innovative sessions on employee engagement delivered by subject matter experts.  Canadian Management Centre is a strategic affiliate of the American Management Association International - a world leader in professional development advancing the skills of individuals to drive business success. For more information, visit the website at: www.cmcoutperform.com or on Twitter:  @CanadianMgmt #CMCevents.

MEDIA INQUIRIES:  To schedule an interview or for additional information, please contact Susan Willemsen, Anita Boudreau or Alexandra Muszynski-Kwan at The Siren Group Inc. Tel:  [phone]
Email:  [email protected]

"Build a Better Workplace: Employee Engagement Edition" Research Highlights

• Canadian Management Centre and Ipsos Reid undertook a national survey in August, 2012 to look at how employees feel about trust and confidence in their leaders and their level of engagement in the workplace.   The following are some highlights of the research findings. For more information about the complete report or to purchase a copy, contact Canadian Management Centre at 1-877-262-2500.
• Less than half (44 per cent) of Canadian employees have confidence in the senior leadership of their organization.
• Results are fairly consistent across Canada: highest confidence ratings for senior leaders reported in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (48 per cent) and Alberta (47 per cent) and the lowest are in BC and Atlantic Canada (43 per cent).
• The confidence that employees have with senior leadership varies considerably by industry.
• Those in transportation (32 per cent), government (35 per cent) and retail industries (39 per cent) exhibit the lowest levels of confidence in their senior leadership.
• The highest levels of confidence were reported by employees in high tech/IT (55 per cent).
• Only four in 10 Canadian employees trust what their senior leaders say.
• The highest level of trust: Ontario (41 per cent), Quebec (40 per cent).
• Despite having the highest level of confidence in their senior leadership, these provinces  reported the lowest level of trust in what their leaders say: Manitoba/Saskatchewan (35 per cent), Alberta (36 per cent).
• Only 38 per cent of Canadian employees feel that senior leadership is doing a good job at communicating what is happening across the workplace.
• Across Canada, Albertans are the most satisfied at 41 per cent whereas employees in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the most disappointed at 35 per cent.
• When it comes to various sectors, those in financial industries (53 per cent) seem to be doing a good job but there is room for improvement for those in transportation (26 per cent) and health and social work (33 per cent).
• Just over half (56 per cent) of Canadian employees have confidence in the decisions made by their managers.

• Level of job satisfaction by industry.
• Most satisfied employees are in, education (82 per cent), government (73 per cent) and health and social work (72 per cent).
• Least satisfied employees are in retail (58 per cent) and transportation (61 per cent).
• Only 46 per cent of Canadian employees are satisfied with the internal communications in their workplace. HR experts share the same view at 49 per cent.
• By industry, those in transportation reported the lowest scores at 26 per cent, whereas  financial services (53 per cent) and education (52%) reported the most satisfaction with their internal communications.
• For more information about Canadian Management Centre, visit the website at: www.cmcoutperform.com  or follow on Twitter:  @CanadianMgmt.

SOURCE: Canadian Management Centre

MEDIA INQUIRIES:  To schedule an interview or for additional information, please contact Susan Willemsen, Anita Boudreau or Alexandra Muszynski-Kwan at The Siren Group Inc. Tel:  [phone]. 
Email:  [email protected]