key employee engagement findings from edelman’s 2012 trust barometer

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Building Trust from the Inside Out:Key Employee Findings from the 2012 Edelman Trust BarometerEmployee Engagement Practice

2© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

About the Edelman Trust Barometer

The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s 12th annual survey of trust and credibility, involving 30,000+ respondents from 25 countries.

This year's results shows employees are a vitally important driver of trust and must figure prominently in any organization's reputation and engagement strategy.

3© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

The Changing Face of TrustCredibility of employees, a person like yourself and a company’s technical experts rises

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

4© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

CEO Credibility PlummetsExecutives are no less relevant, just less credible

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

5© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

Variances in Trust Between Executives and EmployeesNeither consider the other credible

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

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Executives and Employees DO Agree on Credible of a Company’s Technical Experts

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

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Moreover, official company-issued communications are distrusted:

Just 29% of executives and 21% of employees trust corporate communications

Executives are More Trusting Than Employees AreEspecially true for social media

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

8© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

Trust-building FactorsExecutives and employees disagree on how important a company’s treatment of employees is in creating trust

Source: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer

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Three Opportunities to Build Trust

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Identify willing employees Certify them Give them something to say Give them a say

Turning Employees into Ambassadors

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Give employees a role in improving products and services

Allow them to share customer stories and insights

Building Customer Relationships Through Employees

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Take a conversational tone

Give employees a way to interact directly

Encourage a culture of storytelling

Connect CEOs and Employees

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10 Questions Communicators Should Ask (and Answer)

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If a crisis hits tomorrow, who besides your CEO is prepared to step up as the face of your company?

Have you identified technical experts within your company’s ranks—engineers, designers, manufacturing supervisors—that could serve as credible spokespeople for your organization in times of distress?

Does your company have an online/social media behavior policy, and if so, are your employees aware of how it applies to them?

Would your employees know what to tell their online social networks in the event of a company crisis?

Would employees feel comfortable advocating for your company to their friends on Facebook, Twitter and other networks? (and would they be willing to do so?)

How are you connecting your employees with each other using social media?

What steps are you taking to involve employees in co-creating solutions to customer service issues?

If employees become aware of an emerging customer service or product issue, do they have a way to tell the company about it?

How are you strengthening the connection between your CEO and your employees?

Do your employees have a way to interact with your CEO directly, perhaps via social media?

14© Edelman Employee Engagement Practice, 2012. All rights reserved. For more information, contact employee.engagement@edelman.com.

Edelman’s Employee Engagement Practice helps companies create employee connections that deepen engagement, increase trust and accelerate business performance.

Contact us: employee.engagement@edelman.comOn the web: ee.edelman.comComplete information on the Trust Barometer: trust.edelman.com

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