Dr Stefanie Gustafsson speaks to SME leaders on the future of work

To support regional SME leaders build an agile and resilient workforce during economically challenging times, the Small Business Charter invited FOW Co-Director Dr Stefanie Gustafsson to be part of a panel on the Future of Work as part of their Help to Grow leadership development programme.

In her panel contribution, Stefanie reflected on the importance of trust as an important factor shaping the future of work. She spoke about recently published research indicating a ‘cycle of distrust’; the pillars of trustworthiness and the creation of trusting relationships in the context of contemporary work.

She also emphasised the unique opportunities of SMEs in building trust relations and encouraged leaders to be reflexive about their role. Her contribution builds on a recently published paper investigating how several organisations, despite all odds, managed to preserve important trust relations during times of crisis and economic upheaval.