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Ethical HRM in the era of digitalization: key challenges in the evolving roles of HRM

Ethical HRM in the era of digitalization: key challenges in the evolving roles of HRM

Liu, YiTing and Zhang, Shuai ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9796-058X (2025) Ethical HRM in the era of digitalization: key challenges in the evolving roles of HRM. World Journal of Management Science, 3 (1). pp. 10-19. ISSN 2959-9628 (Online) (doi:10.61784/wms3053)

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Abstract

Challenges in ethical HRM practises are emerging due to the introduction of new technologies like automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Big Data, robotics and etc. HRM has transformed due to digital technologies like artificial intelligence which has the threat of leading to inequality. It is essential to discuss ethical HRM in the current era of digitalisation, because the HRM process itself has become data-based and digitalised which uses employee data for key processes like recruitment, selection, appraisal etc. This research will explore: what are the challenges presented to HRM to stay ethical in the era of digitalisation and how they can be overcome? There five identified findings, including the negative impact on the well-being of employees, the threat to autonomy and fairness, the threat to data protection and data privacy issues, ethical issues in gig economy and a lack of human touch and resistance from employees. Ethical issue of bias and discrimination might arise from the algorithms used in digital HRM tools and there is threat for data privacy and need for protecting sensitive employee data. Digital era business model, gig economy and its workers face many unethical issues which can be eliminated mainly by adherence to regulations and rules laid down by governments.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: HRM, ethics, digitalisation, AI
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Greenwich Business School
Greenwich Business School > School of Business, Operations and Strategy
Last Modified: 08 Apr 2025 11:39
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50181

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