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Trust At Work Is Heading In The Wrong Direction
(MENAFN- PRovoke)
NEW YORK - Fear of getting fired is up. Nearly six in 10 employees worry about being monitored by their employer. And trust in employers, bosses and even coworkers is heading in the wrong direction.
All of which suggests things aren't going particularly well at work.
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust at Work found trust in employers fell five points, from 79% in 2024 to 74% in 2026. Over the same period, trust in coworkers dropped nine points to 73%, trust in managers fell seven points to 72% and trust in CEOs declined four points to 66% - all record lows.
Employer trust remains relatively high, but the direction marks a shift. In an essay accompanying the study, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman wrote that the employer became a“linchpin of Trust” during the Covid-19 pandemic, an elevated position he said is now under threat.
But Edelman told PRovoke Media that the bigger concern is what happens as companies undergo widespread transformation, particularly when employees have a negative experience of that change.
The study found 76% of employees experienced at least one major workplace transformation in the past year. AI integration was the most common, at 53%, followed by strategy shifts at 47%, culture shifts at 45%, layoffs or workforce reductions at 38% and M&A at 33%. Forty-two percent experienced three or more transformations.
Nearly one-third - 32% - of employees who experienced transformation said their overall experience was not positive.
That is where Edelman sees the bigger risk for business.
“Transformation is really the sort of hinge or litmus test for trust in business,” he told PRovoke Media.
And trust levels differ sharply depending on whether employees had a positive or negative transformation experience. Among those with a positive experience, 82% trusted their CEO, compared to 49% of those whose experience was negative. Trust in managers was 85% among employees with a positive experience and 60% among those with a negative one.
Edelman made the same point in his essay, writing that if transformation goes poorly, business risks returning to old assumptions including“profits over people” and“employees are just numbers.”
At the same time, employees are worried about their jobs. Seventy-seven percent worry about losing their job because of at least one of the reasons tested, including automation, cheaper foreign competitors, the gig economy, international trade and tariffs, a lack of training or skills, recession and offshoring. Twenty-six percent say they are likely to be laid off within the next 12 months.
Employees also worry about being watched. Fifty-nine percent expressed concern about employer monitoring, including being listened to, monitored or surveilled without their knowledge, or having digital conversations or AI platform inquiries used against them.
The study also found a sizable communications gap between executives and associates. While 79% of executives say management always tells employees the truth, just 46% of associates agree. And while 78% of executives say management regularly communicates with employees about organizational matters, 55% of associates say the same.
Asked whether companies are handling transformation badly, communicating it badly or both, Edelman said:“I think it's both.”
He also said communications can't be separated from what companies actually do for employees during a transformation, including retraining and reskilling.
“Tell people the truth, but give them a future that they can feel optimistic about, and that they're part of it, and that there's a two-way street, and that there's some way of agency, and that they have some control,” he said.
Among employees who had at least one good transformation experience, 67% cited some form of personal agency in choosing how to adapt to the change. That included receiving guidance about how to adjust, having adequate time to plan for the change and having their concerns heard.
For communicators, Edelman said the two pieces have to go together.
“I think the communication and the action are inextricably linked,” he said.“You have to do the reskilling. You have to commit to retraining. You have to tell people where they're going, and then keep talking during the process.”
“Because one and done isn't going to cut it.”
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust at Work surveyed 10,018 employees across 10 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, the UAE, the UK and US. The online survey was conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 31, 2026.
All of which suggests things aren't going particularly well at work.
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust at Work found trust in employers fell five points, from 79% in 2024 to 74% in 2026. Over the same period, trust in coworkers dropped nine points to 73%, trust in managers fell seven points to 72% and trust in CEOs declined four points to 66% - all record lows.
Employer trust remains relatively high, but the direction marks a shift. In an essay accompanying the study, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman wrote that the employer became a“linchpin of Trust” during the Covid-19 pandemic, an elevated position he said is now under threat.
But Edelman told PRovoke Media that the bigger concern is what happens as companies undergo widespread transformation, particularly when employees have a negative experience of that change.
The study found 76% of employees experienced at least one major workplace transformation in the past year. AI integration was the most common, at 53%, followed by strategy shifts at 47%, culture shifts at 45%, layoffs or workforce reductions at 38% and M&A at 33%. Forty-two percent experienced three or more transformations.
Nearly one-third - 32% - of employees who experienced transformation said their overall experience was not positive.
That is where Edelman sees the bigger risk for business.
“Transformation is really the sort of hinge or litmus test for trust in business,” he told PRovoke Media.
And trust levels differ sharply depending on whether employees had a positive or negative transformation experience. Among those with a positive experience, 82% trusted their CEO, compared to 49% of those whose experience was negative. Trust in managers was 85% among employees with a positive experience and 60% among those with a negative one.
Edelman made the same point in his essay, writing that if transformation goes poorly, business risks returning to old assumptions including“profits over people” and“employees are just numbers.”
At the same time, employees are worried about their jobs. Seventy-seven percent worry about losing their job because of at least one of the reasons tested, including automation, cheaper foreign competitors, the gig economy, international trade and tariffs, a lack of training or skills, recession and offshoring. Twenty-six percent say they are likely to be laid off within the next 12 months.
Employees also worry about being watched. Fifty-nine percent expressed concern about employer monitoring, including being listened to, monitored or surveilled without their knowledge, or having digital conversations or AI platform inquiries used against them.
The study also found a sizable communications gap between executives and associates. While 79% of executives say management always tells employees the truth, just 46% of associates agree. And while 78% of executives say management regularly communicates with employees about organizational matters, 55% of associates say the same.
Asked whether companies are handling transformation badly, communicating it badly or both, Edelman said:“I think it's both.”
He also said communications can't be separated from what companies actually do for employees during a transformation, including retraining and reskilling.
“Tell people the truth, but give them a future that they can feel optimistic about, and that they're part of it, and that there's a two-way street, and that there's some way of agency, and that they have some control,” he said.
Among employees who had at least one good transformation experience, 67% cited some form of personal agency in choosing how to adapt to the change. That included receiving guidance about how to adjust, having adequate time to plan for the change and having their concerns heard.
For communicators, Edelman said the two pieces have to go together.
“I think the communication and the action are inextricably linked,” he said.“You have to do the reskilling. You have to commit to retraining. You have to tell people where they're going, and then keep talking during the process.”
“Because one and done isn't going to cut it.”
The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust at Work surveyed 10,018 employees across 10 countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, the UAE, the UK and US. The online survey was conducted from Aug. 14 to Aug. 31, 2026.
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