Honesty in the workplace is critical to almost all U.S. job seekers, as 96% say it's at least somewhat important they can be honest with new managers, while 36% believe open communication is absolutely essential.

Additionally, more than two-thirds of job seekers (69%) agree that employees should feel comfortable discussing personal issues with their manager if it impacts their day-to-day work.    

This is according to a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.

Job seekers recognize specific benefits of honesty in the workplace with 89% agreeing that fostering a work environment where employees and managers can be honest with each other is crucial for a company's success.

Similarly, 87% believe that employees being honest with their managers is crucial for a productive workforce. Companies may also stand to gain from lower employee turnover and increased retention of key personnel by promoting honesty in the workplace.

A significant majority of job seekers (82%) expressed they would be more loyal to a company if they felt they could be candid with their manager. 

Impact on Morale, Productivity and Loyalty
American hiring managers agree that honesty plays a vital role in the workplace — more than half believe employee morale increases (58%), productivity increases (53%) and employees are loyal to the company (51%) when employees can speak honestly at work.  

Forty-five percent feel there are fewer conflicts/disagreements, more accountability (45%) and employee turnover decreases (43%) when employees can be honest.

Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, when employees are not able to speak openly, many believe the opposite occurs in the workplace — employee morale decreases (58%), employee turnover increases (49%), productivity decreases (48%) and employee burnout increases (48%).   

Honesty is also a key component in manager-employee relationships, with around 3 in 5 hiring managers (61%) reporting employees' ability to be honest with them is absolutely essential to their ability to be a good manager.

Specifically, around 9 in 10 hiring managers say employees who feel like they can be honest with their leader are more loyal to their employer (90%) and is a critical part of having a productive workforce (89%). Around 2 in 5 strongly agree with these sentiments (41% and 39%, respectively).   

Equipping Leaders with Relevant Training
Recognizing the importance of honesty in the workplace, job seekers appreciate companies that offer resources to managers and employees to support this value.

Ninety-one percent believe that it is at least somewhat important for companies to provide managers with resources/training on how to manage their direct reports' personal issues if brought up by the employee, with nearly a quarter (24%) feeling it is absolutely essential.

In addition, the vast majority of job seekers (86%) believe it is at least somewhat important that companies provide employees with resources/training on how to manage personal issues so it doesn't impact their work. 

Overwhelmingly, companies feel they have created a space for honesty among their employees and report their company has created a safe and trusting environment that encourages honest communication (86%) and has the right systems/tools in place to allow for constructive criticism to be received well (80%).

In fact, 95% of hiring managers feel employees can speak honestly with anyone at the company regarding their concerns/issues — most commonly their manager/supervisor (68%) and/or peers/colleagues (57%).  

"The foundation of any good relationship is trust, which is no different in the workplace," said Bill Stoller, Express Employment International CEO. "Similar to other leadership training, managers can significantly benefit from structured programs that emphasize healthy communication and the ability to handle challenging conversations."