From Human Resource Management to Human Dignity Development: A Dignity Perspective on HRM and the Role of Workplace Democracy

Abstract

The recent crisis has revealed a number of problems inherent to contemporary societies and economic systems (Seymour 2014) and has increased many of these, including greater inequality and more poverty, depression, suicides, and other health problems (Kentikelenis et al. 2014; Seymour 2014). Moreover, the crisis also revealed and amplified problems for workers, including unemployment and underemployment (George 2014), as well as a higher rate of burnout (Leiter et al. 2014) and worker abuse (Lucas et al. 2011). Besides these human costs, there are also financial costs. For example, the costs of employee burnout have been calculated to be over £77 billion a year across Europe (Evans-Lacko and Knapp 2014). In the search for underlying problems, many scholars have pointed towards flaws in the economic system and increasing social injustice (George 2014; Harvey 2005; Seymour 2014). More specifically, at the heart of capitalism, and in particular neoliberalism, are the focus on (short-term) profit maximization for individual firms, the focus on the instrumentality of labor, and the focus on individualism among workers. These elements have been adopted in many modern organizations and have affected the relationships between employees and their organizations (Bal 2015).