Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine human resources (HR) professionals’ self-perceptions of ethically questionable human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. disregard for the individual, favoring those in power and discrimination). The research sought specifically to determine how these perceptions are influenced by their organizations’ ethical infrastructure and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 134 HR professionals using an anonymous structured questionnaire.FindingsThe scope of organizations’ ethics programs and the degree of importance given to developing an ethical infrastructure were found to predict the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices related to discrimination. These practices are also less acceptable to professionals from organizations that are perceived as more socially responsible regarding their employees.Research limitations/implicationsAdditional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only the influence of contextual determinants, but also the practical consequences of high levels of acceptance of unethical practices in HRM.Practical implicationsOrganizations can decrease their HR professionals’ acceptance of ethically questionable HRM practices by developing and emphasizing a strong ethical infrastructure and CSR practices, especially those affecting employees.Originality/valueHR professionals’ perceptions of ethical issues have rarely been analyzed using empirically tested methods. By surveying HR professionals, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of their perceptions regarding the ethics of their own practices. The results show that contextual determinants play an important role in predicting the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices, especially those leading to discrimination.
Highlights
Unethical human resource management (HRM)Most organizations currently assume that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a valid strategy, and they are adhering to its principles and practices in increasing numbers practices (e.g. KPMG, 2017)
The research focused on how much these professionals are influenced by their organizations’ ethical infrastructure and socially responsible practices when judging the ethics of their own HRM practices
The results indicate that being embedded in an organizational environment with a significant ethical and social responsibility framework appears to increase the ethical self-vigilance of professionals for some unethical HRM practices
Summary
Most organizations currently assume that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a valid strategy, and they are adhering to its principles and practices in increasing numbers practices (e.g. KPMG, 2017). All their members are clearly acknowledged as crucial stakeholders, and the ethical scrutiny of every domain of organizational life is seen as a natural result of CSR. Practitioners to focus primarily on organizational rationality and control objectives This focus on HRM’s contributions to corporate profitability stresses the tacit meanings of functional area designations, such as when “workers are named ‘resources,’ which entails that they are treated like commodities” This focus on HRM’s contributions to corporate profitability stresses the tacit meanings of functional area designations, such as when “workers are named ‘resources,’ which entails that they are treated like commodities” (Alzola, 2018, p. 836)
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