Protection of employees from social risks as an element of personnel policy

Abstract

The approach to determining the content of personnel policy, proposed in the Soviet era and supported by modern scholars, currently needs to be updated due to changes in approaches to the legal regulation of many spheres of society, including protection from social risks. This protection (first of all, through compensation for the negative consequences of such risks in the social security system) up to the end of the 20th century was, carried out exclusively by the state and was considered as care for the disabled, the elderly, and families with children, out of connection with work. Today, protection from social risks is largely due to the status of the individual, including as a person carrying out work under an employment contract. Some rights and obligations in the field of protection against social risks (payment of insurance contributions for compulsory social insurance, assignment of social benefits, establishment of additional support measures in collective agreements) are currently entrusted to employers. The article substantiates that the conscientious fulfillment of duties in this area, ensuring the employment of socially vulnerable categories of workers (for example, persons of pre-retirement age) is one of the areas of work with the collective, which becomes more stable and qualified, since guarantees of protection from social risks become an incentive for employment with this employer, including for qualified workers. Based on the analysis, it is proposed that the protection of employees from social risks can and should be considered as an element of the organization’s personnel policy, which must be given no less attention than other areas of work with the labor collective.