Lifetime employment sounds like a great thing, but not if you hate where you work. That seems to be the plight of Japanese "salarymen" and "office ladies."

Only 22 percent of Japanese workers have "a great deal of trust" in their employers, which is way below the average of eight countries surveyed, according to a new report by EY, the global accounting and consulting firm formerly known as Ernst & Young.

And it is not just the companies: Those employees are no more trusting of their bosses or colleagues, the study found. By contrast, about two-thirds of workers in India and Mexico had a great deal of trust in their employers.