Who's worried about corporate reps? Most employees don't seem stressed Not most employees in the trenches, anyway, according to a recent poll. Looks like safety pros don't have to worry about distracted workers. Maybe distracted CEOs¿

What effect have corporate scandals, layoffs, the battered stock market, the weak economy and terrorism had employee attitudes? Less than 20 percent are worried about losing their job (19percent) or their company going out of business (13 percent).

Only nine percent are worried about their physical security at work.

Maybe it's the "what me worry?" syndrome. Or the "it-won't-happen-to-me" attitude safety pros deal with regularly. Or perhaps many companies have cultivated credibility with the rank and file.

"Employees felt the single most important factor in building a company's credibility among employees is communications - good news and bad; management would be well advised to regularly revisit and strengthen their employee communications programs," says Kathy Cripps, president of the Council of Public Relations Firms.

Among the findings:

  • 82 percent of the employees and 95 percent of the human resource professionals said their company was always or usually open and honest in communicating with its employees.

  • 59 percent of the employees and 63 percent of the HR professionals said their company's demonstration of appreciation for its workers was good or very good.

  • Is there a link between a company's reputation and its employees' job performance? The vast majority, 91 percent of the employees and 98 percent of the HR professionals surveyed, believe there is.

    The Corporate Credibility and Employee Communication Survey was jointly conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Council of Public Relations Firms, the PR industry's trade association. The survey was based on interviews with a statistically representative nationwide sample of 609 employed men and women and the responses of 671 randomly selected SHRM-member human resource professionals. The employee interviews were conducted by the Roper ASW research firm.