News for the Hospitality Executive |
Maritz Poll: Employees� Trust Toward their Workplace has
Taken a Severe Hit;
But the Hospitality Industry Was a Bright Spot
ST. LOUIS (April 14, 2010) � A new Maritz® Poll conducted by Maritz Research, a leader in employee satisfaction research, paints a dire outlook of American workforce attitudes toward employers. Employees� trust toward their workplace has taken a severe hit, with employees across all industry segments citing a lack of trust in not only senior leaders, but direct managers and co-workers as well. According to the poll, few (11 percent) employees strongly agree their managers show consistency between their words and actions. In addition, only seven percent of employees strongly agree they trust senior leaders to look out for their best interest, and only seven percent strongly agree they trust their co-workers to do so. Approximately one-fifth of respondents disagree that their company�s leader is completely honest and ethical, and one-quarter of respondents disagree that they trust management to make the right decisions in times of uncertainty. While workplace trust has been dwindling since the Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco scandals of the earlier part of the decade, threats of layoffs and downsizing have only exacerbated the problem. �In times like these, trust is an especially critical issue. Companies need their best people more than ever to be engaged and productive. But, often, this process starts at the top,� says Rick Garlick, Ph.D., senior director of consulting and strategic implementation, Hospitality Research Group, Maritz Research. �You�ve got to maintain credibility with your workforce as a means of getting them to totally buy in to the mission and vision of your company. Anything less fosters a disengaged workforce that puts self-interest at the top of its list of priorities.� In cases where management trust was strong, the study found that employees were significantly more committed to working for their companies. More than half of respondents (58 percent) with strong trust in their management were completely satisfied with their job, while only four percent of respondents with weak trust in management cited they were completely satisfied with their job. The study also revealed:
While the survey suggests there is room for improvement across all sectors, the hospitality industry seems to have some advantages over others. For example, hospitality employees (14 percent) are more likely than other industry segments (9 percent) to rate their company as a �fun place to work.� Hospitality sector employees also tend to rate their companies better on customer service-related issues and the impact they make:
�With the hospitality industry taking one of the biggest hits due to poor economic conditions and negative perceptions, it is promising that employees feel positive about the connection of their daily work to customer service issues. But, it is still not a rosy picture when it comes to engagement. The results show that a lack of trust runs rampant in this sector as well, which impacts employees� perceived long term career development opportunities, co-worker relationships, and productivity levels,� says Garlick. Don�t slash that recognition program The weak economy forced companies to cut costs across the organization.
And, unfortunately, formal recognition programs were frequently sacrificed.
More than one-third of respondents (33 percent) cited their company scaled
back or eliminated their recognition program in the past year.
There is some data, at least from the employees� perspective, to suggest
these cuts have had an impact on the quality of service they deliver to
customers. Among employees whose companies kept recognition programs
intact, 25 percent strongly agreed their customers would rate their service
as excellent. Among those whose companies cut back on their recognition
programs or never had one, only 14 percent strongly agreed customers would
rate their service as excellent.
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Contact:
Maritz Research
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Also See: | Keeping Valuable Hotel Employees and Improving Staff Tenure / Tory Parks / October 2003 |