Few would argue about the importance of communication and trust in the workplace; these are well-known ingredients for harmonious working relationships and a productive working environment. But less is known about the reasons that communication and trust are so essential – especially within the ethics & compliance (E&C) space.
To remedy this, the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) asked several targeted questions in its most recent Global Business Ethics Survey™ (GBES®). ECI sought to learn more about how communication and trust relate to each other and how their presence supports the development of high-quality E&C programs. Specifically, this report examines the role of communication and trust in determining the following:
- The strength of employee commitment to company values.
- The extent to which employees believe that their company measures and rewards ethical conduct.
ECI developed two measures – proactive communication and workplace trust – to assess communication and trust within companies. Each measure comprises two primary dimensions based on what employees are experiencing in the workplace.
