Trust in the Workplace: The Importance of Interpersonal and Organizational Support

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings of a study on trust in the workplace. The study was undertaken within a large local government organisation early in 2001. While the authors recognise that it may be foolish to believe that any organisation can enjoy complete trust amongst its workforce, this paper argues that the presence of certain interpersonal and organisational characteristics results in greater levels of trust, even within the context of organisational constraints. In this case these characteristics involved perceptions of support at the interpersonal and organisational level.