Extract

Until recently there has been little systematic consideration of the relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) and trust. This dearth of attention is a significant omission as it is a topic that is an important context from which to study trust, and with significant implications and benefits for organizations. Prior to joining organizations, recruitment and selection processes provide clues and signals of their trustworthiness. Existing workers, and the wider community through family and friends or via the internet, may become all too aware of their reputation as a fair and trustworthy employer. Indeed, the internet is often a repository of poor examples of HRM practices fuelled by disgruntled employees, as Goldman Sachs and others have discovered to their cost. Incidences of workplace violence can often be traced back to HRM processes, often performance management, in which the expectations and experiences of an employee and those of the designated representative of the organization have gone badly awry.