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Canadians put more trust in their own employers than in politicians: survey

People seeking ‘champions’ among business leaders, Edelman Vancouver general manager says
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Edelman president and CEO Richard Edelman presenting the findings of the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer at the World Economic Forum, Davos | Source: Edelman, YouTube screenshot

Canadians place more trust in their employers than in politicians when looking for leadership in times of social and economic change, a new survey finds.

That is the finding of the latest annual Trust Barometer report released by public communications firm Edelman this week, and officials say that the results, while surprising and worrying in some aspects, present a valuable opportunity for Canada and B.C.’s corporate leaders.

“Trust is the most important commodity for business, and the opportunity to build trust here is significant,” said Edelman Vancouver general manager Bridgitte Anderson. “It is a return on investment in itself; you are able to build trust internally, which you can then get a deeper engagement with your employees. You get higher retention rates, and you get your employees become the champions of your brand. So there are so many ways this delivers on a return.”

The survey, conducted annually in Canada and in a number of other international markets, saw 79% of respondents saying that they expect CEOs to take lead on social and economic change, rather than waiting for government to act. That is an 11-percentage-point jump from last year, officials said.

Perhaps more surprisingly, respondents in Canada had more trust in their own employers (80%) than either business in general (56%) or government (53%). In addition, as much as 67% said it’s “critically important” for their companies’ CEOs to take charge in challenging economic times, and 54% looking at employers as a trusted source of information on issues where there’s not general public agreement.

For Anderson, the responses show the degree of fear felt by the Canadian public in light of economic and social uncertainty. The survey found only 34% of the mass public – respondents who do not fit the “informed public” criteria of being between ages 25 and 64, college-educated, regular consumers of public policy and business news, and among the top 25% in household income in their age groups – believe their lives will be better in five years’ time.

That fear of uncertainty, along with the increasing distrust in social media news and misinformation, is likely fuelling the drive to look to employers for “champions,” Anderson said.

“Canadians are seeking answers, not just from their employers but also generally on some of the global uncertainties they have seen in the last while,” she said, noting top issues of concerns include job loss, automation, the pace of innovation and the impact of trade policies and tariffs on Canadians’ livelihoods. “People are trying to make sense of it, and they are trying by looking to some of the more traditional voices of authority.”

That search for trusted sources has also led to a rebound in public trust in traditional media, with 71% finding it the most trusted news source.

There are already evidence that some corporations are taking the opportunity and using its business operations as a platform to declare company values. Last March, Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op announced it is dropping brands with links to U.S. gun maker Vista Outdoor Inc.; meanwhile, the founders of vacation-rental platform Airbnb Inc. raised eyebrows last June by issuing a sharp Twitter statement condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy of separating migrants and their children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The situation flies in sharp contrast of the typical anecdotal criticisms employees usually make about their employers, but Anderson said the new model of CEO-led value platforms may be here to stay.

“I think it’s an evolution of where we are, as we are also seeing consumers choosing to support brands that reflect their own values,” she said. “… In the perceived absence of leadership by government on some of these issues, people now feel that employers have the social licence to take a leadership role.”

Edelman has conducted the Trust Barometer survey for the last 19 years and takes 200 respondents’ responses for most markets where the poll was conducted (the reports in the United States and China have a larger sample size of 500 respondents). The full report can be seen at https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer.