The Impact of Individual Ethics on Reactions to Potentially Invasive HR Practices

In recent years, the practices of work organizations have raised increasing concerns regarding individual privacy at work. It is clear that people expect and value privacy in their personal lives. However, the extent to which privacy perceptions influence individuals' work attitudes is less cle...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of business ethics 2007-10, Vol.75 (2), p.201-214
Main Authors: Alder, G. Stoney, Schminke, Marshall, Noel, Terry W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
background searches
Business ethics
Decision making
Deontological ethics
Descriptive ethics
Drug testing
Drugs
Education
Electronic monitoring
Employee attitude
Employees
Employment
Entrepreneurs
ethical orientation
Ethics
Fairness
formalism
Human resource management
Human resources
Impact analysis
Individual ethics
Information systems
Invasion of privacy
Monitoring
Organizational behavior
Organizational justice
Perceptions
Personal information
Privacy
Propriety
Right of privacy
Studies
Surveillance
Utilitarianism
Workers
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Summary:In recent years, the practices of work organizations have raised increasing concerns regarding individual privacy at work. It is clear that people expect and value privacy in their personal lives. However, the extent to which privacy perceptions influence individuals' work attitudes is less clear. Research has explored the extent to which employee perceptions of privacy derive from characteristics of the programs themselves. However, there is a paucity of research that examines how the characteristics of the individual employee may influence perceptions of these programs. In this study we seek to shed light on this issue, as we examine how the individual ethical orientation of employees influences perceptions of a variety of human resource programs that have the potential to be perceived as invasive. Results indicate that ethical orientation exerts direct effects on perceived invasiveness of programs and exerts both direct and indirect effects on perceived appropriateness of programs. Implications for research and for managers adopting privacy-related programs are discussed.
ISSN:0167-4544
1573-0697
DOI:10.1007/s10551-006-9247-6