Benefits June 19, 2001

Co-Worker Trust Has Its Limits

While the vast majority of people trust their coworkers on employment matters, that confidence softens when career advice and personal confidences are on the line.
Reported by

The vast majority (88%) trusts their colleagues to be truthful in meetings, report accurate data, and to maintain confidential information, with 50% reporting that they trust them very much.

However only 64% of the poll would trust their coworkers to provide reliable career advice and just 57% believed that their colleagues would keep personal or professional information confidential.

Suspicious Singles

Interestingly, married respondents were found to be more trusting of their co- workers than their more suspicious single counterparts

  • with 56% of married respondents trusting their co-workers very much at work, and
  • some 45% trusting colleagues outside of work,
  • compared with only 38% of single respondents trusting their co-workers very much at work, and
  • 29% trusting them outside of work.

Findings also show that employees would trust their co-workers:

  • with reporting accurate data on projects, cited by 79%,
  • collaborating and sharing relevant information, mentioned by three quarters of respondents,
  • sharing the work load on specific projects, noted by 75% of the poll, and
  • being truthful in meetings, cited by 73%.

The survey also found older workers to be more trusting than their younger counterparts with work related activities, and full-time workers were more likely to trust colleagues than part-timers.

Taking Advice

Participants were also asked to if they would trust their colleagues on a range of matters, results showed:

  • almost 90% trust their co workers recommendations on car repair shops, good plumbers, and the like,
  • almost three quarters value their opinions on movies, restaurants and politics,
  • just over 60% would trust their colleagues with family activities such as baby-sitting and carpooling, and
  • a little over half would trust them enough to sell or buy items from them.

In addition, over 80% trust their colleagues on matters unrelated to work, such as baby-sitting, carpooling or for referrals, and 40% report trusting their colleagues very much with these concerns.

The Xylo Report, commissioned by Xylo, Inc., a provider of online work/life solutions, surveyed 1,003 US adults.

«