MAY 2018

INSIGHTS@WORK
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
PREVIOUSLY EDELMAN “CONNECTIONS”

WHY THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH

IS ALSO THE EMPLOYER ADVANTAGE
by Cydney Roach, Executive Vice President, National Practice Lead - Employee Experience

A POLARIZATION OF TRUST ACROSS THE GLOBE

In recent years, global findings from the Trust Barometer showed most of the world moving in lockstep,
driven by populist perspectives that resulted in a global inversion of authority as evidenced by Brexit and
U.S. election results. This year, the world is more polarized, with the U.S. on one end of the spectrum
experiencing an astounding drop in trust – particularly in government – while China, on the other end of
the spectrum, has experienced a significant increase in trust.

WHY THE U.S. SHIFT IN TRUST GIVES RISE TO THE EMPLOYER ADVANTAGE
A precipitous drop in trust in the U.S. government and media has given
rise to increased credibility – and expectations – of business and the
CEO. In other words, the battle for truth – for solid, grounded
information that is perceived as lacking in U.S. media and government
64%
say that CEOs
– has shifted the focus on business to lead. By a margin of 15
should take the lead on
percentage points, our research revealed that business is more trusted
change rather than
than government in the U.S. Further, 79% of U.S. respondents say they
waiting for government
trust their employer to do what is right. This, in a distrustful world, is an
to impose it
unexpected and powerful advantage for employers.
Organizations must ask themselves how they can not only maintain but further build that trust. That means
meeting the changing expectations of both internal and external audiences, as well as partnering and
connecting with them in different ways. According to 2018 findings, social media platforms for CEOs have
the power to enhance the employer advantage since over half of respondents now expect CEOs to use
social media to communicate directly to the public and a company’s social media is seen as over 25%
more believable than its advertising.

A company’s social
media is over 25% more
63% Company’s
social media

believable than its

advertising 37% Company’s
advertising

© 2018 Edelman
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Inform, then advocate. The increase of trust in
business comes with the new expectation that
CEO’s must speak up on issues in the public eye.
Now more than ever, they are not only expected
to advocate their position on issues, they are also
expected to inform and educate, presenting all
sides of an issue before taking a stand. Silence
on public issues will no longer work for
employees. In fact, silence is a tax on the truth.
2. Articulate and activate your organizational
purpose. Because trust is now a top global
priority, explicitly defining your purpose and
what you stand for as an employer will enable
you to build trust by infusing your purpose into a
strong employer brand, employee value
proposition and a purpose-driven culture. These
are no longer nice to have items – they are
critical competitive differentiators for a company
and play an equally critical role in achieving
long term strategy goals.
Building Trust Is Job #1 for CEOs
People believe the most important
responsibilities for CEOs are:
1. Their company is trusted
69%
2. Their products and services
are high quality
68%
3. Business decisions
reflect company values
64%
4. Profits and stock price increase
60%
© 2018 Edelman
4. Re-assess your mission, vision and values.
Since there is a new mandate to make your
business socially relevant, refreshing the
mission/vision/values that sit alongside your
organizational purpose will help you consider how
you must show up as an involved corporate citizen,
(internally and externally); help you advocate for
issues that matter to your stakeholders; and allow
you to build forward-looking internal policies for
employees.
5. Ensure you have the tools and methods to reach
audiences in ways that matter to them. The
workplace and the trust environment are more
nuanced than ever before. Are you able to
segment stakeholders to get the right message to
the right person at the right time? Move beyond
traditional demographic mapping and understand
employee preferences and interests based on their
personas / psychographic profiles. Select the right
communication channels and preferences most
likely to capture the attention and trust of your
stakeholders – what works best for a corporate
executive may not instill trust in a factory floor
worker.
6. Take advantage of the new hyper-connectivity
to create stronger trust and connections within
your organization and beyond.
• Look at how your C-suite and functional leaders
work together – create opportunities for them
to collaborate on projects that contribute to the
employee experience while driving better
business outcomes.
• Assess how colleagues are connecting today
and identify if there are new or better
platforms to drive peer-to-peer or peer-to-
leader connections and collaboration. For
example, we have seen a sudden surge of
interest from clients who want to engage
employees in bottom up strategy planning and
are seeking new ways to do that via
technology platforms as well as in-person
collaboration that breaks down traditional silos.
• Nurture the flow of information from the inside-
out through ambassador programs and outside-
in through a newsroom strategy.
The Case for Hyper Connectivity
OUTSIDE: INSIDE: OUTSIDE:
Media influences Trust is earned within Employee advocates
employee perceptions the organization influence perceptions of
external stakeholders

55% 72% 71%

of employees believe trust their employer say employees are more
news outlets more than believable spokespeople
their CEO for information about a company
about their company than CEOs

To learn more about how the 2018 Trust Barometer

findings can provide you with the insights you need to
shape your work, click on the image below.
EDELMAN EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
We accelerate transformational change by
designing employee experiences that shift
mindsets. We marry the art of storytelling
with the science of digital activation,
behavioral science and continuous listening
metrics to drive results.

For more information, visit us at:

ee.edelman.com
To discuss the Edelman Trust Barometer and
what the findings mean for you, your Follow us on Twitter:
organization and your industry, contact: @EdelmanEE
Cydney.Roach@Edelman.com
Email us at:
ee@edelman.com

© 2018 Edelman