Organisaation tukitoimintojen vaikutus esimiehen organisatoriseen luottamukseen irtisanomisiin johtaneissa yt-prosesseissa

Organisational downsizing is one of the most dramatic events of organisational change. Downsizing is a challenging process for both employees and managers. Thus, trust can have an important role in implementing this kind of change. Consequently, building and managing employees’ trust is one of the most crucial tasks and skills of a manager. The purpose of this article is to study the role of organisational support mechanisms in the manager’s trust towards the employer organisation as well as their supervisor during the downsizing process. The research was conducted as an explorative qualitative study. The qualitative data was collected in semi-structured interviews with experienced informants and the data was analysed by means of content analysis using NVivo software. The findings emphasised the importance of an effective organisational culture. Open communication, supervisorial support, and honest behaviour were experienced as important support mechanisms in order to build and maintain managers’ trust. In the actual downsizing process, the most important aspect was compliance with the legislation as well as a well-functioning negotiation relationship between parties.