Trust in a compulsory virtual work situation : A qualitative case study of coworker’s experience of trust

Abstract: In unpredictable crises, situations arise where the effects of the crisis do not manifest themselves during or after it is overplayed. The research literature has been limited to studying the context of a combination of an ongoing pandemic and how it affects the trust between coworkers in a virtual work environment, in which they have been compelled to work because of external pressures. As a result of a limitation of the existing research literature, the coworkers affected by the phenomenon need to be able to give their statements where experience and experiences are highlighted to deeply understand how this sudden situation has affected the coworkers' trust. The study aims to describe and understand how coworkers experience trust in compelled forms of work during a crisis. To find out how coworkers experience trust in teleworking, an empirical study in the form of a qualitative case study methodology has been applied. The empirical material consists of ten respondents from two service companies, which have been analyzed in thematic content analysis. The results show that compelled telework has led to certain changes in trust in coworkers and the organization in certain contexts in telework. Virtual trust in its definition proves to be difficult to achieve in these organizations if the coworkers have not worked together physically before. It appears that coworkers place greater emphasis on the factor of integrity than benevolence and ability. Organizations need to understand how different individuals fit a specific form of work, where the character of the personality plays a crucial role in the trust within the virtual teams. Furthermore, the results show that they require more understanding of the studied phenomenon to avoid psychological strains that affect the individual, the organization, and society partly on an individual level, partly for organizational goals, and from a societal perspective.