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The employee as 'Dish of the Day’: human resource management and the ethics of consumption

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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The employee as 'Dish of the Day’: human resource management and the ethics of consumption. / Dale, Karen.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 111, No. 1, 2012, p. 13-24.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Dale, K 2012, 'The employee as 'Dish of the Day’: human resource management and the ethics of consumption', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9

APA

Dale, K. (2012). The employee as 'Dish of the Day’: human resource management and the ethics of consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 111(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9

Vancouver

Dale K. The employee as 'Dish of the Day’: human resource management and the ethics of consumption. Journal of Business Ethics. 2012;111(1):13-24. doi: 10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9

Author

Dale, Karen. / The employee as 'Dish of the Day’ : human resource management and the ethics of consumption. In: Journal of Business Ethics. 2012 ; Vol. 111, No. 1. pp. 13-24.

Bibtex

@article{334bbde8285f40bfa2d07d072acaedfe,
title = "The employee as 'Dish of the Day{\textquoteright}: human resource management and the ethics of consumption",
abstract = "This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the {\textquoteleft}consumers{\textquoteright} of {\textquoteleft}cafeteria-style{\textquoteright} benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying {\textquoteleft}ethos{\textquoteright} for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas{\textquoteright} perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being.",
author = "Karen Dale",
year = "2012",
doi = "10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9",
language = "English",
volume = "111",
pages = "13--24",
journal = "Journal of Business Ethics",
issn = "0167-4544",
publisher = "Springer Netherlands",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The employee as 'Dish of the Day’

T2 - human resource management and the ethics of consumption

AU - Dale, Karen

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the ‘consumers’ of ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying ‘ethos’ for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas’ perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being.

AB - This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the ‘consumers’ of ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying ‘ethos’ for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas’ perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being.

U2 - 10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9

DO - 10.1007/s10551-012-1437-9

M3 - Journal article

VL - 111

SP - 13

EP - 24

JO - Journal of Business Ethics

JF - Journal of Business Ethics

SN - 0167-4544

IS - 1

ER -