Congruent HRM frames and employees' trust in HRM: results of the case study at Philips

Differences in the HRM frames of HR professionals and line managers are assumed to negatively impact employee-level outcomes, and trust in HRM in specific. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore the link between congruence in HRM frames of HR professionals and line managers and employees' trust in HRM. An explorative, mixed methods case study was performed in an international production company, Philips. A total of fifteen HR professionals and line managers within a production site of Philips were interviewed, to assess their HRM frames. 103 employees filled in a questionnaire about their level of trust in HRM. Within the case under investigation, mixed congruence in HRM frames between HR professionals and line managers was associated with an intermediate level employee trust in HRM. Therefore, the findings seemed to confirm that a relationship exists between congruence in HRM frames of HR professionals and line managers and employees' trust in HRM. Findings reveal that differences in HRM frames may exist between different social groups, due to differences in function, socialization, education and a lack of communication between these groups. HR professionals should attempt to create shared understanding through heightening the level of communication between HR professionals and line managers.