Socially Responsible Human Resource Management: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

At the intersection of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM), a specific research strand has been forming and considerably flourishing over the past years, contributing to the burgeoning academic debate of what has been called “socially responsible human resource management” (SRHRM). The SRHRM debate seeks to proactively enhance employees’ work experiences and meet their personal and social expectations in ethical and socially responsible ways. Despite the increasing interest in research about SRHRM, however, the literature in this area is highly scattered, and a comprehensive study has yet to be undertaken. The present paper addresses this shortcoming by systematically reviewing 57 scholarly articles published in this research domain. It integrates previous insights on the topic to provide a far-reaching theoretical framework that highlights antecedents, practices, and outcomes of SRHRM research. As the results show, between 2011 and 2021, the Sustainability journal has published most of the empirical papers in this area, while the last three years (2019–2021) experienced a significant surge of publications on the topic. Our framework shapes a holistic overview of the SRHRM domain and illuminates different relevant elements upon which future studies in this area could be developed. This contribution is also beneficial for general CSR literature as it stresses the importance of its internal stakeholders, which have been comprehensively given less attention so far. By critically examining the recent literature on SRHRM, we further show how previous research is dominated by studies rooted in utilitarian approaches. Therefore, we set a research agenda for future studies by acknowledging the need for process-oriented studies and the importance of critical scholarship within the field of SRHRM.

“Smart” outsourcing in support of the humanization of entrepreneurship in the artificial intelligence economy

“…The fundamental basis of the research conducted in this article was formed by the Theory of Human Resource Management (HRM). According to this theory, humanization of entrepreneurship implies responsible management of human resources, which is manifested in the following: Preservation and creation of additional jobs to support employment and fight unemployment (Liao et al, 2022 ; Omidi and Dal Zotto, 2022 ); Optimization and organization of jobs through an increase in their comfort and safety (del-Castillo-Feito et al, 2022 ; He et al, 2021 ; Sorribes et al, 2021 ); Provision of opportunities for career building and development of human potential through the creation of knowledge-intensive jobs, with creative activities and innovative activity of employees (Diaz-Carrion et al, 2019 ; Latan et al, 2022 ; Rawshdeh et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2015 ), as well as the creation of highly productive jobs, which imply the use of the leading technologies and automatization means, in particular, the support of decent jobs for digital personnel (Ramos-González et al, 2022 ). …”

“…Preservation and creation of additional jobs to support employment and fight unemployment (Liao et al, 2022 ; Omidi and Dal Zotto, 2022 );…”

The Nature of Work in the Media Industries: A Literature Review and Future Directions

“…In doing so, the prospective researchers can critically discover, more holistically than before, the various forces (at micro, meso, and macro levels) shaping media workplaces in different contexts and countries with particular effects. Keeping this approach at the center for studying the nature of media work, future researchers could elaborate on a humanistic model to manage people in media organizations called "socially responsible human resource management" or SRHRM (Omidi and Dal Zotto 2022). The SRHRM discourse encourages organizations to adopt an ethical approach toward their employees not due to their instrumental values for the organizational aims but for providing a context in which individuals can flourish, thereby contributing to societal wellbeing in the long run.…”

Perceived socially responsible HRM, employee organizational identification, and job performance: the moderating effect of perceived organizational response to a global crisis

“…(2022) argued that socially responsible HRM practices are positively associated with job crafting based on the mutual gains perspective in public management. In addition, there has been a recent research trend of socially responsible HRM due to its positive impacts on both individual employees and organizations ( Del-Castillo-Feito et al., 2022 ; Omidi and Dal Zotto, 2022 ). However, very little is known about the direct effect of employees' perception of their organization's socially responsible HRM on their job performance and the indirect influence via their organizational identification.…”