Ethics in Recruitment and Selection

Santos, Nuno Rebelo dos; Pais, Leonor; Cabo-Leitão, Carla; Passmore, Jonathan

doi:10.1002/9781118972472.ch6

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Opportunistic behavior refers to “self‐interest seeking with guile” (Williamson, 1985, p. 30). Because previous works in this area have focused mainly on the benefits that headhunters gain through their broker or intermediary position between clients and candidates (dos Santos et al., 2017), they have also overlooked the fact that clients are “principals” who hire headhunters as their “agents” in the external labor market (Baldo, 2015; Baldo et al., 2019; Britton & Ball, 1999). Contingency‐based headhunters, constituting 85% of all headhunters (including also retained‐based headhunters) and making 90% of all candidate placements, receive their placement fees only for hired candidates (Finlay & Coverdill, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, clients can contact the candidates introduced by headhunters directly to circumvent placement fees. Because organizations increasingly use headhunters (AESC, 2020) and headhunter‐client relations can affect recruitment‐related outcomes (dos Santos et al., 2017), research on clients' opportunistic behaviors is warranted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because scholars have focused on the benefits that headhunters gain through their broker or intermediary role between clients and candidates (dos Santos et al., 2017), they have largely overlooked headhunters' vulnerability to clients' opportunism because they are more dependent on clients than clients are on them. In other client‐provider relationships, opportunistic behavior by clients is restrained by their dependence on providers and by trustful relations between clients and providers (Finlay & Coverdill, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Opportunism in headhunter‐client relations: An agency theory perspective

Peltokorpi

2023

Human Res Mgmt Journal

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Recruitment is one of the most important human resource functions for organizational success and survival. While organizations increasingly use headhunters to recruit employees, little research has focused on client‐headhunter relations. This paper draws on agency theory and interviews with 130 contingency‐based headhunters and corporate clients to examine clients' opportunistic behaviors and how headhunters sought to mitigate these opportunistic behaviors. Our analysis shows that clients used several headhunters in search assignments, negotiated and refused to pay placement fees, contacted candidates directly, changed search criteria and terminated search assignments, and used headhunters to poach employees from their competitors. Our analysis also shows that headhunters used various social interaction and contract‐based approaches to mitigate these behaviors, which affected recruitment‐related outcomes. This paper contributes to the literature by providing the first agency theory‐based study on clients' opportunist behaviors, bringing principals into agency theory‐based research, and showing that clients' opportunism affects recruitment‐related outcomes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Opportunism in headhunter‐client relations: An agency theory perspective

Peltokorpi

2023

Human Res Mgmt Journal

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Applicants’ Fairness Perceptions of Algorithm-Driven Hiring Procedures

Lavanchy

Reichert

Narayanan³

et al. 2023

J Bus Ethics

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Unethical behaviour in Human Resource Management practices in South Africa: Views of Human Resource practitioners

Erasmus

2018

mjcmi

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The study on which this article reports, examined the relationship between the susceptibility of unethical behaviour in human resource (HR) practices (dependent variable) and three independent variables, namely the role of the HR function in institutionalising good business ethics, factors influencing the personal ethical behaviour of HR practitioners, and the commitment to ethical business conduct, exhibited by certain individuals and groups within organisations. A descriptive study was undertaken using an online questionnaire, and 304 HR practitioners in South Africa participated. The results indicated that employee selection, performance management and appraisal, recruitment and advertising were the areas most susceptible to unethical HR practices. The least susceptible HR areas were affirmative action, employment equity plans, employee orientation, employee socialisation, and psychometric testing. The results also showed statistically significant relationships among the independent variables and the dependent variable. Amongst others findings, a statistically significant positive relationship existed between susceptible unethical HR practices when HR practitioners are solely responsible for resolving ethical dilemmas, and a negative relationship when HR is not directly involved with resolving ethical dilemmas. The HR function has an important role and contributes to institutionalising business ethics in organisations.

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Ethics in Recruitment and Selection

Cited by 3 publications

References 77 publications

Opportunism in headhunter‐client relations: An agency theory perspective

Opportunism in headhunter‐client relations: An agency theory perspective

Applicants’ Fairness Perceptions of Algorithm-Driven Hiring Procedures

Unethical behaviour in Human Resource Management practices in South Africa: Views of Human Resource practitioners

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