Trust and Human Resource Management: Navigating Human Capital in the Age of Transformation

Trust and Human Resource Management: Navigating Human Capital in the Age of Transformation explains why trust has become one of the most practical “must-haves” for managing people today. As work is reshaped by digital platforms, data analytics, and AI tools, employees increasingly experience HR through systems and algorithms as much as through managers. This book shows how trust is built – or damaged – through everyday HR decisions such as hiring, performance evaluation, rewards, development, and the handling of conflict, and why trust matters for engagement, well-being, innovation, and retention. Bringing together international authors from Europe, the United States, and Asia, the chapters combine clear conceptual frameworks with evidence from surveys, comparative analyses, and real organizational cases. The volume covers timely topics including trust in AI-supported recruitment and selection, the role of HR in cybersecurity and information security staffing, stress during digital transformation, cross-cultural and generational differences in trust, and trust in automated work environments. It also highlights risks linked to surveillance and opaque decision-making and offers practical guidance on transparency, communication, employee involvement, and responsible data use. Written for nonspecialists as well as scholars, the book provides a global, future-oriented map for designing HR practices that are both effective and trustworthy in an era of rapid change.