"This lack of trust should serve as a wake-up call for employers," said David W. Ballard, head of APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. "Trust plays an important role in the workplace and affects employees' well-being and job performance." 

He cited recent recession-related "layoffs, benefit cuts and job insecurity" for the lack of trust. "The recession put a strain on the employee-employer relationship and people aren't quick to forget," Ballard said.

That said, the numbers weren't compared to any previous survey results, so they must stand alone to be judged. Also, the fine line between "open and upfront" and "honest and truthful" is not really expanded upon, despite the rather large difference in the responses (one-half v. one-third of respondents).

The study also found that "a majority of workers reported being satisfied with their job overall," and 64 percent of respondents "feel their organization treats them fairly."

The survey also reports trends that have been identified elsewhere. Among them:

• Job-hop fever: A quarter of workers surveyed are planning to look for a new job in the next year as the improving economy creates more opportunities for mobility.

• Upward bound: Growth and development opportunities at work were said to be lacking by 49 percent.

• Atta boys/girls: About the same percentage felt their employer didn't do enough to recognize their positive contributions.

• Gender gap: Women employees tend to report unhappiness with their compensation and to cite the lack of upward opportunities and recognition programs more than do males.

• Happy = productive: Workers who feel valued by their employers are also more engaged in their work.

The survey gauged stress factors and reported the following:

• Employees who felt valued were far less likely to say they feel stressed out during the work day.

• Employees who feel valued are far more likely to report being in good psychological health (89 percent vs. 69 percent of those who do not feel valued).

• 61 percent of respondents "have the resources to manage the work stress they experience."

• 31 percent "report typically feeling tense or stressed out during the workday."

• Leading causes of work stress cited by this group were low salaries, lack of opportunity for growth and advancement, unclear job expectations, job insecurity and long hours.