Workplace Democracies and Human Dignity

The redistribution of power discussed above is associated with workplace democracy and creates fairer, clearer, and more equitable relationships amongst stakeholders. Since human dignity is also about changing relationships towards these ends, workplace democracy and human dignity are aligned. Research supports this notion, as it has shown that when people within the organization trust each other due to strong relational ties, employees will be more committed to the organization, and more willing to contribute in a positive way (Rousseau 2012). One way to commit employees to an organization is through employee ownership of the company (Rousseau and Shperling 2003). When employees are legal owners of a company (for instance, through shares), they are likely to be more committed to the long-term viability and performance of the organization. Thus, democracy aligns with human dignity not only because of its respect for fair and equal relationships, but also because democracy protects and promotes the responsibility of each individual as a member of the organization.

More specifically, there are at least eight other reasons why workplace democracy fits with a human dignity principle in organizations (Sauser 2009). First, democracies tend to focus on the participation of employees within the organization. Second, democracies stress the value of protecting employees, who cannot merely be laid off when management tries to maximize short-term gains. Third, democracy stresses the voluntary choice of people to work, and the engagement of people in the process of working and organizing. Fourth, democratic control enables people in organizations to promote the ‘greater good’ and to vote for abolishment of practices that do not fit their values. Fifth, democracies make people more autonomous, and put them in control over their work. They are not merely following orders from the organizational hierarchy, but instead have the autonomy to make decisions. Sixth, democracies are focused on learning; the act of democratization is educative (De Jong and Van Witteloostuijn 2004) , as participation allows people to learn and develop in the organization. Seventh, democracies are focused on cooperation rather than competition, as the aim of the organization is to bring people together to create and exchange, which is meaningful for all parties. Eighth, democracies are concerned with the communities in which they operate. Democratic organizations are not only focused on short-term maximum profitability, but also on offering the possibility for people to work, create, and develop in the long term.

Hence, taking the above reasons together, democratic organizations may increase the human dignity of workers and managers, while at the same time increasing organizational functioning (e.g., growth, learning, innovation), and positively contribute to society. For example, research has shown that the strongest solution to unemployment and its negative consequences, such as stress and depression (Koen et al. 2013), is that people have (meaningful) work. The right ‘people management’ in organizations can contribute to dignity, but the question is how organizations may adapt their HR-systems to be more aligned with dignity and democratic principles. In the next section we discuss how HRM can increase human dignity by applying the ideas of workplace democracy across the employee life cycle.