could be embraced by all persons working in organizational
setting.
Long-Term Orientation (Sustainable) Rather Than
Short-Term Orientation
For Pirson and Lawrence (2010), the “economic man”
engages only in short-term transactions because he acts on
opportunities. At its extreme, it is predatory behavior often
founded on individualistic premises. In contrast, humanist
philosophers envision the long-term relationships with others
as a central element for human beings, a condition stemming
from “being together” in this world. Management, as
Melé (2009a) points out, is often guided by the idea that each
person is different and must be treated according to her or his
qualities and personality. Even if these concepts apply mainly
to the management of talents, it is possible that they will
become the key to the success of organizations, leading to
humanistic and economic approaches complementing each
other (Pirson & Lawrence, 2010). Beaupré, Cloutier,
Gendron, Jiménez, and Morin (2008) explain that sustainable
development does not condemn all economic activity; it
means considering this activity differently, taking into
account the limits of both the environment and the developmental
aspirations of individuals and organizations.
According to these authors, complying with these precepts of
corporate social responsibility (CSR) can have positive consequences
on organizational health. Nevertheless, Beaupré
et al. notes that the implementation of CSR practices and sustainable
development had not really helped integrating the
human dimension at the heart of values and principles of
social responsibility within organizations. Consequently,
introducing CSR and sustainable development principles
into HRM practices remains in an embryonic state or is only
slowly being implemented in businesses. Plinio (2009)
defines the sustainable performance of organizations as the
performance that makes the attainment of short-term objectives
possible while remaining focused on long-term objectives.
Therefore, all results, short term as well as long term,
increase the benefits for the organization, the parties
involved, and our civil society. Delios (2010) explains that
organizational leaders should proactively modify the nature
of their competitive environment by promoting social
responsibility. Finally, Marchington (2015) have recently
noted that HRM is neglecting the long-term perspective in
looking up too much on the hierarchy and with his narrow
focus on performance goals even if unfortunate consequences
will follow for its practitioners.
Garriga and Melé (2004) have classified the different
CSR conceptions into several categories: instrumental,
political, integrative, and ethical. The CSR advocated by
Beaupré et al. (2008) can be identified with the fourth group,
the ethical one. This corresponds to person management
based simultaneously on ethics and sustainability. Thus, by
rethinking management sciences according to a humanist
perspective, we are looking at the long-term horizon even
though it is possible to have partial objectives helpful in
attaining ulterior goals (Melé, 2009b). The CSR, whatever
its shape, is an integral part of an organization’s strategy. To
work, such a strategy should be part of the common goals
shared by the members of the organization, even though the
intent might change over time. This sustainable development
of persons can also help reduce costs (often hidden
costs) associated with turnover, absenteeism, and so on.
Taking Into Consideration Hidden Costs Not Just
the Obvious One
Managing persons with little benevolence may seem to
increase performance in the short term. For example, Melé
(2009a) explains that massive layoffs and relocating factories
in view of saving money on salaries, as well as other
practices, illustrate how powerful and widespread this conception
of short-term economics is. Yet, practices that do not
emphasize persons management can generate substantial
hidden costs, as defined by Savall and Zardet (2008). For
example, based on the literature regarding work-related
stress, Leung, Skitmore, and Chan (2007) re-explore the different
kinds of stressors. There are personal stressors, taskrelated
stressors, organizational stressors, and physical
stressors. It is therefore possible to observe that only the personal
stressors (type A behavior, for example), cannot be
lessened through an ethical and responsible management of
persons. Persons management means, among other things,
taking into consideration almost all of the stressors to
decrease their impact. The American Institute of Stress estimates
that work-related stress costs American companies
more than US$300 billion per year (Bishara & Schipani,
2009). In fact, stress can lead to absenteeism, employee turnover,
mistakes, reduced productivity, increased professional
burnouts, lower morale, as well as higher risks of drug and
alcohol use, violence at work, and harassment (Bishara &
Schipani, 2009; Brown & Mitchell, 2010). While management
often looks carefully at the costs related to their division,
numerous hidden costs are not considered (Garman,
Corbett, Grady, & Benesh, 2005). For example, according to
O’Connell and Kung (2007), there are three main components
associated with retention costs not often calculated:
staffing, vacation, and training. Cascio (1999) defines four
types of hidden costs: separation, replacement, training, and
the difference in the performance between those who have
left and their replacements. Few studies have measured these
costs, but Hillmer, Hillmer, and McRoberts (2004) evaluate
the “real costs” of turnover in call centers, which were major.
However, even if it is obvious that employee turnover generates
other types of hidden costs, the difficulty of evaluating
them makes it also difficult to document them. Following
this lead, recent studies have focused on the hidden costs of
absenteeism, such as Cascio and Boudreau (2010). Even if
many authors agree that there are costs generated by