Labor flexibility and business ethics

Abstract

This article constitutes a research piece based on the project denominated “Normative harmonization about objective dismissal in Colombia in the context of business ethics.” The text analyzes the phenomenon of attaining labor flexibility, the conditions for its implementation in Colombia and the existing regulatory framework within national legislation. The starting point for this analysis is that the neoliberal model, being immersed in labor relations, pressuposes that the market participants are to separate themselves from the ethical foundations of labor law, and this leads to job insecurity, inequality and individualism in the marketplace. The analysis warns that the adopted model, as a consequence of globalization, has not permitted a betterment of the labor conditions for the working class. As a result, it appears necessary to include within the processes that lead to labor flexibility, an element of business ethics that has been lacking thus far, not knowingly that the emphasis from corporations on practicing social responsible business models can improve their productivity and help them seek new markets.