Recent research into employer attitudes is extremely useful for understanding what impact unemployment can have on job prospects.  However, what it cannot do is illustrate what job seekers can expect once they return to work.  The financial and emotional stress of unemployment is generally allayed by returning to work, but there is a real risk that job seekers will be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire unless efforts are made to maintain good levels of job satisfaction throughout the recession and beyond.

This need has been recognised by the Institute of Leadership and Management and Management Today, who have got together to produce the Index of Leadership Trust 2009.  The ILM and MT have identified a wide and spreading culture of mistrust that has been born out of the current turbulent economic climate.  With news of financial and political scandal becoming commonplace, it is natural that employees' trust for their leaders is likely to have waned. With this in mind, 5000 UK employees have been surveyed and the results compiled into this year's index.

The response is reasonably positive - particularly given the climate in which the survey has taken place.  Nearly 70% of employees have answered that they "generally" or "completely" trust their manager, which illustrates great scope for improvement but also a surprisingly strong status quo. CEOs, on the other hand, have work to do in order to improve their reputations.  The survey found that they rated at 59 on the trust index, which ranged on a scale from 0 (no trust) to 100 (complete trust).  This score decreases as the size of organisation increases, with public sector CEOs scoring lowest of all.

The report identifies integrity and ability as the two key characteristics of a trustworthy leader, and line managers are also required to demonstrate openness and understanding. While the report highlights areas of trust that are currently lacking, it also provides constructive recommendations for how these can be developed.  Reassuringly, it also illustrates good levels of trust for the current circumstances which - if addressed properly - can be effectively developed throughout the upturn.  With jobseekers striving to improve their employability, it is comforting to know that employers now have an incentive to make themselves more attractive, too.

Read the full report at http://www.i-l-m.com/downloads/Index_Leadership_Trust_09_(2).pdf