According to a report published today by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and HR magazine's sister title, Management Today, 31% of workers have low or no trust in senior management teams.
The survey of 5,600 employees showed CEOs need to work harder at demonstrating their personal integrity - because ability alone is no longer enough.
On a trust scale of 1-100, CEOs scored 59 compared to 69 for line managers. New staff are much more likely to trust their boss, with new employees awarding their boss a trust score of 65, which drops to 57 after five years' employment.
And the size of the organisation is a factor, with line managers in the smallest organisations scoring 76, dropping to a score of 66 in medium-sized businesses.
The ILM's chief executive, Penny de Valk, said: "For leaders, being good at their job is simply not enough anymore. They have to be aware of their ‘signal value' and how employees perceive this as a sign of integrity. The more senior you are, the more the gap between what you say and do - or what you don't say or do - is amplified. In recessionary times, employees are anxious and this spotlight will be yet further intensified."
