Advances in Developing Human Resources· 2026Q2
Beyond Minimum Wage: A Conceptual Framework for Living Wage in Organizations
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
This paper proposes a conceptual framework integrating living wages into Human Resource Development (HRD) by aligning them with training, organizational development, and career development domains.
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Key points
- Living wages are theorized as a developmental imperative within HRD, linked to training, organizational development, and career development.
- The framework is grounded in Human Capability Theory, Organizational Justice Theory, and Strategic HRD Theory.
- Adequate wages are proposed to enable employee engagement in training, contribution to change, and career advancement.
- Illustrative examples from Costco, JPMorgan Chase, and Unilever are used to support the conceptualization.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The Problem Economic inequality and wage stagnation challenge employee well-being and organizational sustainability. HRD scholarship has given minimal attention to living wages as a strategic and developmental issue. Organizations lack conceptual guidance on integrating living wage practices into HRD frameworks, leaving practitioners without a foundation for aligning compensation with development goals. The Solution This paper positions the living wage as a developmental imperative aligned with HRD’s core domains: Training and Development, Organizational Development, and Career Development, grounded in Human Capability Theory, Organizational Justice Theory, and Strategic HRD Theory. Using illustrative examples from Costco, JPMorgan Chase, and Unilever, it theorizes that adequate wages enable employees to engage in training, contribute to organizational change, and pursue career advancement; it offers a conceptual framework to guide future empirical investigation. Stakeholders HRD professionals, educators, organizational leaders, policymakers, and researchers interested in advancing empirical inquiry on living wage as a strategic HRD mechanism.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Applied Psychology
Applied PsychologyPsychology