ABSTRACT
HRM approaches to equality have historically been concerned with legal compliance and the representation of minority groups. However, in parallel with the rise of neoliberalism, HRM has become pre-occupied with the economic case for diversity and has espoused approaches with an individualistic thrust that have rendered the individual responsible for their own success and change in organizations. Drawing on the theoretical ideas of Judith Butler (2009), the chapter explores how this individualizing thrust obscures much deeper processes of precariousness, in which work has become unreliable and poorly paid, and precarity, in which precarious forms of work have had a differentially greater impact on diverse groups. The increasing underlying operation of precariousness and precarity in HRM practices to equality raises significant ethical questions concerning the role of HR and work, more broadly, in sustaining life rather than just improving business profitability for a minority of stakeholders.
