Despite hints of more pluralist undercurrents, workplace values and beliefs have rarely been surfaced to inform our understanding of HRM. This paper examines management and employee workplace values and beliefs in the national contexts of Ireland and New Zealand. The findings indicate a) a divergence of managerial beliefs at the level of society and the level of their own workplace, b) an overall pluralist orientation amongst employees. These findings highlight the importance of greater sensitivity to ideological orientation and more pluralist understandings of HRM