Contrary to initial fears, the new policy has been well-received by the majority of employees.

contrary 是形容词，意思是"相反的、对立的"，常用来表示与预期或假设相反的情况。 to 在这里是介词，表示"与...相对"或"对...而言"。 contrary to 是一个固定搭配，意思是"与...相反"，用来引出与预期或假设相反的事实或情况。