Fewer than four in ten workers in the UK feel they can trust their managers to communicate honestly, according to a new survey.

The level of distrust was more pronounced among long-serving workers, compared with their junior counterparts, the study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found.

The preliminary findings of the Britain at Work survey were similar to recent survey results in the US, where only one in three workers trusted management communication.

In the UK, more than half of employees with less than two years' service said they trusted management to communicate honestly at all times.

But among those who had served for 15 years or more, this figure fell to 32 per cent.

Even senior managers were cynical, less than half saId they trusted management communication.

Paul Sanchez, head of communication consulting at Mercer, said economic turbulence and company lay-offs had combined to create a "climate of uncertainty and distrust" in the workplace.

He added: "This has not been helped by recent accounting scandals, the closure of company pension schemes and reports on executive pay.

"The research shows that many employees question the information they receive from management, and wonder whether they are being told the full story.

"What's more troubling is that this level of distrust is most pronounced amongst long-service workers -- the very people who know their organisation best."

Only half of those questioned said they felt there was sufficient contact between managers and employees in their organisation.

But only one in three believed senior management did a good job of recognising and confronting issues before they become major problems.

The survey also found that some of workers believed management behaviour was consistent with company values.

But despite their concerns, the majority of employees continued to derive satisfaction from their jobs, with some reporting that work gave them a feeling of personal accomplishment and 60 per cent saying they felt a strong sense of commitment to their organisation.

More than 3,500 working adults representing a broad cross-section of industries across the UK took part in the mail-in survey.