Giving children their due voice in human resource management research

Abstract

ABSTRACT Parental reporting has long been the dominant method of determining children’s views when researching Human Resource Management (HRM). This prevailing adultist approach ignores the potential for children’s voices to make empirical, theoretical, and practical contributions to the study and practice of HRM. The purpose of this paper is twofold. In the first instance, building on Kavanagh’s (2013) broad call to address the white space around children and organisational studies, this paper seeks to highlight the key areas of HRM research where children have the potential to make a significant contribution to our empirical and theoretical understanding of work and life and our subsequent managerial recommendations. In the second instance, it builds on existing scholarship, while drawing on the author’s own experiences, to provide practical suggestions for addressing ethical challenges that are more pronounced when interviewing children – obtaining their informed consent, mitigating the potential for harm arising from power imbalances, and consideration of their right to privacy and confidentiality. This is in response to the demand for additional resources to support those who are willing give voice to children in their research.