The latest quarterly Employee Outlook survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows a "crisis of trust" in senior management, particularly in the public sector.

Only 43 per cent of those working in the public sector are likely to recommend their employer compared to 56 per cent in the voluntary sector and 52 per cent in the private sector.

The quarterly survey has found that employees are much more likely to be among the 22% currently looking for a new employer if they express low trust in their senior managers, are dissatisfied with their job or are under excessive pressure every day.

Key findings show:

  • Nearly half (47 per cent) of employees who strongly distrust their directors / senior management team are currently looking for a new job compared to just eight per cent of workers who strongly trust their senior leaders.
  • Only eight per cent of employees who are satisfied with their job are looking for a new employer, compared to 57 per cent of dissatisfied employees.
  • Employees who face excessive pressure in their jobs on a daily basis are almost twice as likely to be looking for a new job (39 per cent) compared to those who experience excessive pressure once or twice a month (21 per cent) .


Although overall trust in leaders is low across the board, with 34 per cent of employees agreeing they trust their senior management teams and 38 per cent disagreeing, there is significant regional variation.

Employees in Wales, north East england, north west England and Scotland are most distrustful of their leaders, while workers in south west England, London and the east of England are generally more positive.

This survey comes on top of a report by Incomes Data Services showing that chief executives have seen their total earnings increase by an average of 49 per cent in the last financial year, with an average salary of £2,697,664.

To read the full CIPD report, go to the website for The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to download the Employee Outlook report (502 KB pdf).

To read the press release on the IDS report, go to the Incomes Data Services website and download the FTSE 100 directors get 49% increase in total earnings report (93 KB pdf).

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