HRM and the ethics of commodified work in a market economy

Abstract

Work is a central feature of our lives and an area of human activity that provides genuine possibilities for individual development and flourishing. At the same time it is a site of great economic and political conflict and, moreover, for many workers is nothing but drudge, the 'toad god work' as the English poet Philip Larkin once called it.In the contemporary world, HRM is at the heart of many of the issues that affect the capacity of work to provide for individual development. Human resource managers are responsible 'inter alia' for recruitment, selection, orientation, performance evaluation, training and development, IR and health, and safety issues (Boxall and Purcell 2003). As should be patently clear from this list, HRM is a sphere of activity where many of the central ethical issues pertaining to employers and employees arise. What kinds of issues are relevantfor HR managers in determining the ethics of work undertaken in the market context?