Smart Tech is all Around us – Bridging Employee Vulnerability with Organizational Active Trust-Building

Public and academic opinion remains divided regarding the potential benefits and pitfalls of datafication technologies in organizations, particularly regarding their impact on employees. Integrating theory on organizational trust and dual-process models, we propose that datafication technology disrupts trust between the employee and their employer. We argue that this disruption precipitates a phase of heightened vulnerability where employees more actively weigh up trust-related cues and where the employer can engage in active trust-building to preserve and maintain the relationship. Our paper develops a framework to guide organizations’ active trust-building efforts in this context. Specifically, we propose that organizations engage in either communication and symbolization or substantive interest alignment efforts to address situational normality beliefs, employer benevolence, and integrity intention as well as reciprocal dependence of the employer. We discuss the implications of our paper for helping to reconcile competing narratives about the future of work and for developing our understanding of trust processes.