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The Trust Gap: Closing the divide between leaders and workers

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The Trust Gap: Closing the divide between leaders and workers

Executives and workers may share a workplace, but their experiences can be worlds apart.

Leaders often report rising satisfaction and a stronger culture, while workers see morale and trust eroding. This divide puts stability at risk. Unless organizations close the trust gap, investments in AI and workforce strategies will fall short.

Trust is the starting point for everything else, from adopting technology and committing to training, to having confidence in leadership decisions. But when executives see progress that employees do not, skepticism grows. Workers begin to doubt whether culture, loyalty, and engagement are more than talking points.

55%

of STEM workers say employee satisfaction has improved.

70%

of STEM executives say employee satisfaction has improved in the last few years.

16%

of STEM workers report a decline, nearly twice the rate of STEM executives.

9%

of STEM executives reporting a decline in satisfaction.

Bridging the morale gap before it erodes trust.

Frustration is rising among workers, and it’s directly tied to stalled growth.

Forty percent of STEM workers say their biggest frustration is the lack of opportunity to grow or upskill. And it’s not just STEM. Across industries, workers report slow progress in morale and job satisfaction.

Executives see morale very differently. More than a third of global executives (36%) say their satisfaction at work has improved in the last year, and another 38% say it has stayed the same. In contrast, only 25% of workers report improvements, while 46% say it hasn’t changed.

The gap grows when leaders speak for their teams. Forty-two percent of global executives say employee satisfaction is on the rise across their organization, but only 27% of workers say the same. STEM leaders are just as misaligned. Seventy percent of executives say satisfaction has improved, but just 55% of STEM workers agree, and 16% say satisfaction has declined — nearly double the executive perception.

This is a morale problem, not just a perception issue. When leaders assume satisfaction is rising, they overlook early signs of disengagement, and that blind spot erodes trust.

Discover how to turn workforce data into compelling narratives that drive alignment, inspire action & strengthen culture.

Global executives who say employee loyalty improved in the last year:

49%

Technology

40%

Financial services

33%

Manufacturing

Global workers who say their loyalty has increased vs those who say it has declined:

36%

Technology

24%

say loyalty has declined

29%

Financial services

33%

say loyalty has declined

29%

Manufacturing

24%

say loyalty has declined

Loyalty gaps put retention at risk.

Declining morale doesn’t just affect how workers feel — it changes whether they stay.

Many executives believe their teams are staying put, but workers tell a different story. While 40% of global executives say loyalty has improved, only 30% of global workers feel the same, and more than a quarter (27%) say it’s getting worse.

The sharpest gaps appear in financial services and manufacturing. In regions like Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, worker loyalty is flat. India is an outlier, where both executives and workers say loyalty is on the rise.

The bottom line: if loyalty continues to slide, organizations face rising turnover risk and the loss of critical skills. Leaders who fail to connect morale with retention may find themselves blindsided when top performers walk out the door.

In a larger context, many workers acknowledge that employers are their partners in growth rather than the problem. Workers recognize that their employers are champions of their growth and are aware that their organizations readily invest in the means to help them grow. Their challenges stem from the day-to-day constraints that make it difficult to leverage the support available to them.

Workers feel backed by their employer to progress professionally:

55%

of STEM workers say employee satisfaction has improved in the past few years.

Global workers in several industries are unsure whether their current role supports long-term career goals:

51%

Energy, oil, and natural gas

44%

Life sciences

40%

Fincancial services

51%

Logistics

43%

Higher education

36%

Technology

45%

Manufacturing

42%

E-commerce

Workers feel supported, but struggle to advance.

Most workers say they feel supported by leadership, but support isn’t the same as progress. Barriers like limited resources, few chances to upskill, and little room to apply new skills leave many stuck on the same rung.

Sixty-four percent of global workers say leadership recognizes their contributions. More than half (58%) feel confident their roles align with long-term goals, yet 42% remain unsure about the path ahead.

Confidence is especially fragile in energy and logistics, where more than half of workers doubt future growth. Even in STEM and business professional and industrial roles, where confidence runs higher, many still question whether leaders will deliver on promises of advancement.

Executives and workers also disagree on the root of the problem. One-third of executives blame motivation, while only 17% of workers do. Employees point instead to structural barriers like time, resources, and opportunities — gaps that, if ignored, risk wasted investment and rising turnover.

Top barriers to upskilling for:

(Business professional and
industrial workers)

35%

say resources and opportunities are limited.

say they face time constraints.

25%

24%

say they lack chances to apply new skills.

34%

say they lack motivation.

34%

say they face competing priorities.

32%

say they have limited resources and opportunities.

(Business professional and
industrial executives)

Upskill or exit? Workers see training as a ticket out.

Growth is the real retention test. In business professional and industrial sectors, nearly two-thirds of workers say they would quit after upskilling if their company could not offer the next step. For many, training feels less like an opportunity and more like a springboard to another employer.

Retention hinges on transparency. When workers understand how they can grow within a company, and what skills will get them there, they are far more likely to stay engaged and committed.

Young workers see growth as non-negotiable.

For Gen Z and millennials, progress isn’t optional. Nearly half say stalled advancement is their biggest frustration, compared to just one in five boomers. In business professional and industrial sectors, 40% of millennials say resource constraints hold them back, compared to only 27% of boomers.

That frustration has consequences. More than 7 in 10 of younger workers say they would leave after upskilling if no clear path forward exists. Companies that fail to show mobility risk losing the very people expected to lead in the future.

83%

of business professional and industrial executives say they are worried talent will quit for better opportunities after completing upskilling.

Skills flight versus interest in professional development among business professional and industrial talent, by generation:

Workers who feel frustrated with a lack of growth or upskilling:

Trust falters when DEI feels like talk, not action.

Trust also depends on whether companies keep their cultural promises. For many workers, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is the test of whether leadership promises hold up in practice.

Most workers still want progress on DEI, but many doubt leaders are following through.

More than half of global workers (57%) say they want their employer to support DEI efforts. Most executives say those efforts are still happening, but 20% say they have removed DEI language from marketing materials. That disconnect shows up clearly in gender equity. Eighty-two percent of STEM executives say their organization has programs to recruit, develop, and retain women. But only 59% of STEM workers say their organization has these programs.

That shift may come at a cost. Forty-three percent of global executives say rolling back DEI efforts would risk losing current talent or alienating new hires. Just 32% of global workers say the same — a gap that shows DEI efforts are not landing equally across organizations.

Here’s how equity drives stronger teams and better results.

Leaders stay optimistic while workers brace for disruption.

Executives are confident about the year ahead, but many workers are far less certain. Leaders focus on growth, while employees brace for setbacks.

The split is sharpest in STEM. Nearly eight in ten executives (78%) say the future looks strong. Workers see something different: only 65% share that optimism, and nearly twice as many expect conditions to worsen.

Leaders focus on growth, while employees brace for setbacks.

STEM executives rate their organization on attracting and retaining talent:

31%

give an “A” rating

50%

give a “B” rating

STEM executives rate their organization on attracting and retaining talent:

40%

give a “C” rating

STEM executives and workers who see only a fair or even poor, economic outlook for their industry over the next five years:

14%

STEM workers

7%

STEM executives

That divide shows up in strategy too. Nearly seven in ten (69%) global executives believe their current talent strategy is strong enough to meet business goals this year. Workers see something different: only 65% share that optimism, and nearly twice as many workers (14%) compared to executives (7%) expect conditions to worsen over the next five years. Workers are less certain, with far fewer confident their organizations can deliver.

STEM leaders see disruptors ahead, from tariffs and generative AI to data infrastructure and supply chain risks. But where executives frame disruption as opportunity, workers see risk. The real test is whether leaders can turn confidence into credibility. If optimism is not backed by action, disruption will reshape more than business plans. It will reshape the workforce itself.

STEM executives anticipate these top disruptors over the next 5 years:

Key Takeaways: How to build trust that retains and engages talent.

Close perception gaps quickly: Compare leader and employee sentiment on morale, loyalty, and satisfaction to catch misalignment before it undermines trust.
> Here’s how to design engagement surveys that surface the truth.
Watch for early warning signs: Track shifts in engagement or performance to intervene before workers disengage fully.
Link upskilling to mobility: Show employees how training connects to career growth, or risk developing talent for your competitors.
> Learn how to unlock the leadership potential within your workforce.
Create clear career pathways: Show every worker a clear path to grow, improve retention, and strengthen future leadership.
Make DEI progress visible: Back commitments with actions that are measurable, consistent, and clearly communicated to keep trust alive.
Pair optimism with a plan: Show how you will turn challenges like AI, supply chain issues, and tariffs into opportunities that build confidence.
Build feedback loops: Keep workers informed about progress on engagement, DEI, and retention efforts.