HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY–ORIENTED HRM IN DIGITALLY INTENSIVE WORK SYSTEMS: INTEGRATING WELLBEING, SURVEILLANCE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digitally intensive work systems has fundamentally reshaped human resource management (HRM) practices, raising critical questions regarding employee wellbeing, workplace surveillance, and organizational trust. This study explores the concept of Human Sustainability–Oriented HRM as a strategic framework for balancing technological efficiency with long-term human wellbeing in highly digitalized organizational environments. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from sustainable HRM, organizational psychology, and digital governance, this paper develops an integrative conceptual model that explains how HRM practices can simultaneously support employee wellbeing while managing digital monitoring mechanisms in a trust-based organizational climate. The analysis highlights that excessive or opaque surveillance practices may undermine psychological safety and trust, thereby threatening human sustainability. Conversely, transparent, participatory, and ethically grounded HRM policies can transform digital monitoring into a supportive tool that enhances employee engagement and wellbeing. The findings suggest that organizational trust plays a mediating role in aligning digital control systems with sustainable HRM outcomes. This study contributes to the emerging literature on sustainable and digital HRM by offering a human-centered framework that emphasizes ethical governance, mutual trust, and employee wellbeing as key pillars of sustainable performance in digitally intensive work systems. Practical implications for HR managers and policymakers are discussed to promote resilient, trust-based, and human-sustainable digital workplaces.