Descriptive or evaluative? The employee perceptions of HR practices: a systematic literature review and future agenda

In today’s competitive corporate climate, strategic human resource management (SHRM) requires a thorough grasp of employee perceptions of human resource practices (EPHRP) since EPHRP can significantly impact individual and organizational outcomes. However, research challenges remain in the operationalization and theorization of EPHRP, especially regarding the employment of different types of EPHRP measures, which prevents the understanding of EPHRP and the effectiveness of SHRM. Therefore, this study aims to review up-to-date EPHRP-related studies and understand how it has been operationalized and theorized in quantitative research. The current review employed Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Protocol 2020 to find English-written studies published before May 2024 that have investigated EPHRP. One hundred ten studies were synthesized and analyzed regarding the general characteristics of EPHRP research, the operationalization and theorization of the EPHRP construct. The results demonstrate an increasing interest and diversified approaches in studying EPHRP. However, results also reveal the ambiguity in EPHRP conceptualization, concerns in its operationalization and applications, as well as the lack of sufficient investigation of descriptive EPHRP and the predictors of EPHRP. Focusing on the operationalization and theorization of EPHRP, the study conducted a comprehensive review and provided insights into the issues of EPHRP measurement. Such investigations advance the understanding of EPHRP, offering valuable implications for both SHRM researchers and practitioners.