Building up trust is key to cementing the relationship between an employer and their employees. However, it seems that the volatile nature of the jobs market during the UK’s double-dip recession may have shaken undergraduates’ faith in employers.
This is according to the findings of Trendence UK Graduate Barometer 2014. Asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement “the economic crisis has caused me to have less trust in employers,” 40% of the 27,000 students questioned said they agreed, while just 19% actively disagreed with the statement.
Further figures from the survey showed that this loss of trust was more prominent amongst state sector students (44%), compared to private sector students (37%).
The survey findings reveal that even though the UK economy has climbed out of a recession, employers are still going to have to take measures to help regain the trust of their graduate employees. Outlining this in more detail the survey says:
‘Trust plays an important role in students’ decisions about which organisations to apply to and influences their choice of first employer after graduation, so there is a need for the graduate recruitment industry to restore their faith, and a need for individual recruiters to address the issue directly in their recruitment marketing and campus engagement.’
The qualities of trustworthy leaders
A study carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in conjunction with the University of Bath earlier this year offered up some insight into what constitutes a trustworthy leader.
The study identified four key qualities demonstrated by trustworthy leaders – ability, benevolence, integrity and predictability. Employers may want to emulate these qualities in an effort to establish trust with their graduate workforce.
The report also highlighted the importance of understanding trust within the context of workplace practices and relationships.
‘What seems to be crucial in order to create an environment of trust and trustworthiness is that the practices and policies evolve alongside the relationships…trust is primarily relational and we believe that this needs to be recognised by organisations in order to cultivate trustworthy leaders,’ the report outlined.
If you are planning to recruit graduates to fill your range of vacancies in 2014, Discovery Graduates can help with all stages of the graduate recruitment process including attraction, recruitment and retention.
