Restaurant Employees Say Trust is a Two-Way Street

New research from Technomic has found that trust must be mutual, when it comes to the relationship between restaurant managers and their employees. Technomic's newly-released Optimizing Employee Engagement data found compelling insights about the fundamental components to restaurant employee engagement, which is defined as the degree to which team members feel personally connected to their workplace and the outcomes they are responsible for achieving.

Technomic's survey found that, among the fundamental components of engagement, trust was rated highest among employees across multiple casual dining restaurant chains. Trust received a composite score of 73, followed by clarity (60), common purpose (57) and growth (49).

Of the five metrics that make up the composite trust score, restaurant employees most strongly supported the statement 'I feel my direct manager trusts me to make the right decisions,' with 88 percent of respondents indicating agreement.

"This really emphasizes the impact and importance of good leadership at the unit level," commented program principal Teresa Siriani, adding that the foundation for improving engagement levels begins with trust and organizations that discover their engagement opportunities can build on the positives to improve employee retention and move their organizations forward.