When Algorithms Sit at the Negotiation Table: Employer Branding, Ethics, and Social Robots in Human-Centered Talent Management

This chapter examines the potential of social robots to reshape employer branding by reframing employment negotiations as a critical relational moment in the recruitment process. While employer branding research primarily addresses organisational attractiveness and recruitment signals, this chapter positions negotiations as a formative stage in the employment relationship, during which perceptions of fairness, trust, and affective experience shape relational expectations and retention outcomes. Drawing on a narrative review, it compares social robots with human negotiators and current AI-enabled recruitment tools. It highlights how their embodied presence, social interaction capabilities, and computational capacity may influence key negotiation dynamics. Adopting a multi-stakeholder perspective, the analysis considers implications for job candidates, HR professionals, and employers. The chapter concludes with design guidelines and a research agenda positioning social robots as a bridge between employer branding strategies focused on attraction and those aimed at retention.