Trade-union engendered employee trust in senior management: A case study of digitalisation

Abstract

Trade unions can shape employees' positive perceptions of digital technology introduction, and thus help achieve desirable outcomes. Our understanding of why and how remains limited. This article develops the argument that employees' trust in senior management's digital competency is a central issue, and a power-sharing trade union can play an important role in mediating that relationship. We propose that workplace trade-union power enables workers to ‘trust’ the process when they know the union can collectively bargain with senior management. This reduces digitalisation-induced job insecurity, thereby engendering an engaged workforce to remain in post. This leads to our hypothesis that trade-union voice has both a stronger direct and indirect effect in reducing employees' intention to exit than direct voice (direct communication with senior leaders). Our sequential mediating model supports the hypotheses on both direct and indirect pathways using 520 valid responses to a staff survey during digitalisation from a major UK public service organisation.