Voicing Ethical Concerns: A Consistent Turn in Romania's Human Resources Professional Landscape

This paper aims to demonstrate that the field of Human Resources Management in Romania has evolved into a focal point where the ethical challenges inherent in capitalist working relationships are most effectively articulated at both individual and organizational levels. The contention is that the unique tensions faced by HR professionals globally, coupled with the profession's ongoing struggle for legitimacy, position it as an ideal source of representations regarding the ethical and moral dimensions of capitalist work relations. Additionally, within the contemporary landscape dominated by personal branding strategies adopted by numerous solo professionals, insights and representations that were once confined to local organizational contexts now find expression in a more public domain – online social media. Moreover, these insights are disseminated through the myriad live meetings within the community formed around influential figures in the HR profession. Therefore, in a (national) context formally dominated by an anti-communist approach, it is within this profession’s struggles for institutionalization that critique finds a legitimate place.

This paper contributes to an understanding of the importance professional projects such as that of Human Resources have in enabling the formulation and voicing of legitimate critique of capitalist relations. It does so by striving to define the boundaries and content of the profession in such a way as to legitimize concerns and actions related to sensitive ethical issues. The subcategory of professionals I refer to is a minority in the larger landscape and ongoing research is trying to estimate the extent to which the themes raised in these networks have travelled throughout the organisational space.