When asked if they trust their employers to guard their personal data, about 39 percent of workers say the foundation has not been laid when it comes to mobile and bring-your-own-device programs at work. Worse, the overall level of trust is declining, with uncertainty about privacy driving the trend. According to a recent study from MobileIron, employees who “completely trust” their companies to safeguard their personal information dropped to 21 percent in 2015, down from 30 percent in 2013. Those who say they do trust their employers dropped from 66 percent in 2013 to 61 percent in 2015. There has also been a significant drop in the levels of personal discomfort workers feel across every personal content category, including personal email, contact lists, and text messages. Discomfort and mistrust are both growing, but what are the causes? Mainly, employees are more uncertain and less informed about privacy issues when it comes to using personal devices for work. “Consumers are becoming more aware of privacy issues in general (data breaches, etc.), so their trust in institutions (including their employers) has dropped,” says Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy at MobileIron. “But consumers also deal with a lot of uncertainties—their perception of what can be seen (in the work context at least) is not that accurate.”