Trust and Control at the Workplace: Evidence from Representative Samples of Employees in Europe

Abstract

Based on two representative samples of employees, the German Socio Economic Panel and the European Social Survey, we explore the relation between certain measures of control in employment relationships (i. e. working time regulations, use of performance appraisal systems, monitoring by supervisors, autonomy to organize the work) and individuals’ inclination to trust others. Trust is measured by the general trust question like in most other economic studies based on surveys. We find that strict working time regulations, monitoring and lack of autonomy – all indicators for control at the workplace – are negatively associated with trust. Monitoring also moderates the relation between the existence of a formal performance appraisal system and individuals’ trust.Moreover,we contribute to the literature on trust by gathering hints to other potential correlates of trust.