Good morning.
Public trust is in short supply these days. That’s a clear takeaway from last week’s events, and it’s also the finding of the annual Edelman Trust Barometer global survey, out this morning. Trust in governments has plummeted during the pandemic, and trust in media is at record lows. A clear majority of those responding—57%—“believe that government leaders, business leaders and journalists are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false.”
But here’s a surprising development: Business has emerged as the most trusted institution in the crisis, displacing government. And despite layoffs, furloughs and other cutbacks during the downturn, survey respondents cite “my employer” as their most trusted source of information.
That’s a credit to how many businesses handled the pandemic, putting safety concerns about their employees first. It’s also an opportunity. How businesses use that new-found trust in the months ahead will be worth watching. You can find the full survey results here.
Separately, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston has written a piece for Fortune arguing the “rise of remote work is the best thing to happen to knowledge work in generations.” Companies that embrace remote work in the post-pandemic world will “attract the top talent, ship the best products and earn the most market share.” But they also will have to make some major changes—repurposing offices to foster human connections, rethinking the workweek to allow flexibility around individual needs, and changing the way work is managed and monitored. You can read the full piece here.
More news below. And check out our new columnist S. Mitra Kalita on the role mentoring plays on the new world of work. It’s on the Smarter Working hub, here.
Alan Murray
@alansmurray
[email protected]
