The rise of the employee/employer relationship

For the last 19 years the Edelman Trust Barometer has been shining light on how citizens across 27 markets trust the four principle institutions of our society – Government, Businesses, NGOs and the Media.

The 2019 Edition presents a compelling picture of the world we are living in today. Whilst trust among the general population has increased across all four key institutions, the emergence of ‘My Employer’ has revealed the rise of a fifth relationship.

It states that both the informed public and general population are entrusting their future and hopes on corporations they work for.

Commenting on the study, Bob Grove, Edelman’s Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APACMEA) said, “Employees today expect businesses to look beyond processes and performance.

“Companies are expected to lead conversations on larger issues relating to societal good. This in turn, will help build trust which would lead to an increase in loyalty, engagement, commitment and advocacy amongst employees.”

The study also highlighted a significant rise of 26 point increase in engagement year-to-year with Malaysians choosing search engines and traditional media over social media as key sources of trusted information.

Interestingly, Malaysia is at the top globally, in terms of the fear of fake news. 82% of Malaysians admit to being concerned about fake news, against the global average of 73%.

This has resulted in people shifting their trust to the relationships within their control, most notably their Employers.

84% of respondents agree that CEOs today should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government to impose it.

With employees expecting CEOs to play a larger role in driving societal change with shared action, personal empowerment and providing more job opportunities

Commenting on the rising role of the Employer, Mazuin Zin, Edelman Malaysia’s Managing Director elaborated, “Amongst the growing fear of job loss due to automation, corporate leadership is expected to play a vital role in upskilling, reskilling and involving employees in more meaningful tasks beyond business as usual to instill a sense of trust and purpose at work and in the larger ecosystem.”

The event also featured speeches and a panel discussion by Datuk Kamal Khalid, Managing Director of Media Prima, Sumitra Nair, Vice President of Talent and Digital Entrepreneurship of MDEC, Natasha Ishak, Recruiting Compliance Expert at Hays and Datin Sri Dr. Suhaiza Hanim Dato Mohamad Zailani, Professor at Universiti Malaya.

For more information on the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer log on to: https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer.