eHRM—Chances and Risks for Anti-Discrimination and Equity
The digital transformation of work has been (re)shaping efforts to achieve equal opportunities and combat discrimination. While some companies make extensive use of digital human resource management systems, others are lagging behind—both in terms of the prevalence of such systems and the various HR functions affected. In the context of equal-opportunity policy, the digital transformation has the potential to pave the way for needs-based HR measures rather than remaining limited to non-discriminatory selection procedures. This development would go hand in hand with the increasing individualism of employees. However, the risks and opportunities of digital HRM systems with regard to equality opportunity policies have not yet been analyzed in detail.
There have been ample studies of potential human biases in HR decision-making processes, however. Many of them have shown that prejudice, stereotyping, and errors in judgment, such as the impact of first impressions, have greater adverse effects on more unstructured processes. Highly structured procedures and specification-based evaluation criteria lessen the influence of bias. This suggests that digital approaches can reduce typical human errors in judgment.
Researchers in the sub-project “eHRM—Chances and Risks for Anti-Discrimination and Equity” investigate how eHRM measures can promote non-discrimination and equality where digitalization meets human judgment. Their objective is to identify the risks and potentials of eHRM for (anti-)discrimination efforts, equal opportunities, and the development of equality-based standards for non-discriminatory (or less discriminatory) eHRM systems, taking into account the influence exerted by the users of such systems.
- Duration: 08.2017 - 12.2020
- Project lead: Prof. Dr. Daniela Rastetter
- Sponsor: Landesforschungsförderung Hamburg