For Canadians Trust Does More than Pay to Boost Worker Satisfaction

Trust trumps raises? Researchers in Canada found that a slight increase in employee trust affects a worker's satisfaction as much as a hefty raise. University of British Columbia researchers found that "when an employee's trust in management increases one point on a 10-point scale, it has the same effect on that employee's level of life satisfaction as a 36% raise." Trust is the definitive best practice, according to economist John Helliwell, who says candid and open communication is the key to building or rebuilding trust. He claims that employees who trust their management and executives work harder and are often healthier, happier and more fully engaged, all of which reflects in the bottom line. (Canadian HR Reporter [Klie], June 5, 2006, p. 3)