Purpose: In recent years, efforts to reinforce the links between corporate social responsibility and human resource management have highlighted employees’ role as crucial organizational stakeholders. This study aims to investigate whether workers’ perception of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) based on employee-focused practices is related to work engagement (WE). This research also explored whether perceived organizational support (POS) and affective commitment (AC) can contribute to explaining this relationship. Social exchange theory and job demands-resources model were used to theoretically frame the research. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a sample of 222 employees working in diverse organizations, using individual online surveys. Several analyses were conducted to assure data robustness to common method bias. Findings: The results confirm that SR-HRM fosters WE and that this effect is subject to sequential mediation by POS and AC. Accordingly, SR-HRM practices contribute to higher level of POS, which then foster stronger affective bonds with employers and, in turn, higher levels of vigor, absorption and dedication among workers. Originality/value: The findings contribute to the expansion of the SR-HRM literature by providing a deeper understanding of how this management strategy affects employees’ job-related attitudes, particularly WE a much-overlooked variable in this realm.

Aligning learning goals with the needs of the labour market is a difficult task for universities, especially in the present day. Although organisations seek professionals with flexible and varied skills, universities often underestimate the importance of cross-curricular skills. Thus, this article aims to identify the perception of recent graduates as to the importance of the transversal skills that they acquired and developed at university and the ways in which they are now applied in the work environment. In this exploratory study, we sent a questionnaire to recent graduates that allowed us to analyse the development and applicability of these competencies in organisations. The results are further discussed within the broader framework of how universities adapt to the strong socio-economic challenges that characterise current times and the integration of recent graduates into the labour market.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine human resources (HR) professionals’ self-perceptions of ethically questionable human resource management (HRM) practices (i.e. disregard for the individual, favoring those in power and discrimination). The research sought specifically to determine how these perceptions are influenced by their organizations’ ethical infrastructure and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 134 HR professionals using an anonymous structured questionnaire. Findings: The scope of organizations’ ethics programs and the degree of importance given to developing an ethical infrastructure were found to predict the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices related to discrimination. These practices are also less acceptable to professionals from organizations that are perceived as more socially responsible regarding their employees. Research limitations/implications: Additional studies with larger samples are needed to determine more clearly not only the influence of contextual determinants, but also the practical consequences of high levels of acceptance of unethical practices in HRM. Practical implications: Organizations can decrease their HR professionals’ acceptance of ethically questionable HRM practices by developing and emphasizing a strong ethical infrastructure and CSR practices, especially those affecting employees. Originality/value: HR professionals’ perceptions of ethical issues have rarely been analyzed using empirically tested methods. By surveying HR professionals, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of their perceptions regarding the ethics of their own practices. The results show that contextual determinants play an important role in predicting the level of acceptance of unethical HRM practices, especially those leading to discrimination.

The literature rarely addresses the possible effects of organizations’ internal ethical context on their employees’ subjective well-being, that is, people’s evaluation of their lives based on positive and negative emotional experiences and perceived life satisfaction. This study explored how internal ethical context’s components—specifically ethics codes, ethics programs’ scope and perceived relevance, and perceived corporate social responsibility practices—are related to workers’ subjective well-being. Ethical leadership’s possible leveraging of ethical context variables’ effect on subjective well-being was also examined. The data were collected from 222 employees from various organizations in Portugal using an electronic survey. The results from multiple regression analyses indicate that organizations’ internal ethical context positively affects employees’ subjective well-being. This impact is mediated by ethical leadership, suggesting that leaders play a crucial role in highlighting and embodying their organization’s ethical norms and orientation, thereby directly influencing their staff members’ subjective well-being.

Information about the paper titled "THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSVERSAL SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULA FOR TODAY'S LABOR MARKET" at IATED Digital Library

Recent research has found that human resource (HR) practitioners judge the acceptability of ethically questionable practices based on the importance their organization attributes to ethical infrastructure (e.g., codes of conduct) and corporate social responsibility practices. This study sought to evaluate the effects of ethical leadership and the aforementioned factors on other non-HR organizational actors. More specifically, this research examined how these individuals judge the acceptability of three ethically dubious HR management practices: discrimination, disregard for the individual, and favoring those in power. Results obtained from data collected through an online survey indicate that ethical leadership is negatively associated with the acceptability of all three practices. Individuals in organizations with a stronger ethical infrastructurealso find discrimination and disregard for the individual less acceptable. The same is true of participants in organizations perceived as more socially responsible regarding employees and economic aspects. Pesquisa recente verificou que os profissionais de Recursos Humanos (RH) julgam a aceitabilidade de práticas eticamente questionáveis com base na importância que a sua organização atribui à infraestrutura ética e às práticas de responsabilidade social. Este estudo avaliou os efeitos da liderança ética e dos fatores mencionados sobre o modo como outros atores organizacionais, que não os profissionais de RH, julgam a aceitabilidade de três práticas eticamente duvidosas de gestão de RH: discriminação, desrespeito pelo indivíduo e favorecimento de quem está no poder. Os resultados indicam que a liderança ética está negativamente associada à aceitabilidade das três práticas. Os indivíduos provenientes de organizações nas quais a infraestrutura ética é mais forte também consideram as práticas de discriminação e de desrespeito pelo indivíduo menos aceitáveis. O mesmo é verdade para os participantes de organizações percebidas como mais socialmente responsáveis em relação aos trabalhadores e no domínio económico.