Ethical and Unethical behaviour taking place in HR (Human Resource)

 What is Ethics in Workplace?

Ethics in the workplace is defined as the moral code that guides the behavior of employees with respect to what is right and wrong in regard to conduct and decision making. Ethical decision making in the workplace takes into account the individual employee’s best interest and also takes into account the best interest of those impacted. The latter of the definition is often where individual employees struggle to act ethically. Furthermore, ethical behavior doesn’t only apply to individual employees, the organization itself should exemplify standards of ethical conduct.

What is unethical behaviour?

    Unethical behaviour is behaviour that is contrary to our own moral principles as well as the principles admired in the community we live in.

“Ethics’ refers to ethos and in in its original meaning in the Greek tradition had to do with “character”.to be unethical in ones behaviour means that one is betraying one’s inner character  and eventually experiencing  a diminished faith in oneself.

What is Human Resource Management?

Human Resource Management is the process of recruiting, selecting, inducting employees, providing orientation, imparting training and development, appraising the performance of employees, deciding compensation and providing benefits, motivating employees, maintaining proper relations with employees and their trade unions, ensuring employees safety, welfare and healthy measures in compliance with labour laws of the land and finally following the Orders / Judgements of the concern High Court and Supreme Court, if any.

Human Resource Management involves management functions like planning, organizing, directing and controlling

• It involves procurement, development, maintenance of human resource
• It helps to achieve individual, organizational and social objectives
• Human Resource Management is a multidisciplinary subject. It includes the study of management, psychology, communication, economics and sociology.
• It involves team spirit and team work.
• It is a continuous process.

HR practices that can contribute to Ethical behavior

1) Know the laws

As a representative of an organization, HR professionals need to make tough decisions and hold employees accountable for wrongful actions—and that's not an easy task. To do so effectively requires confidence and authority. Knowing important labour laws and compliance practices will help manage these issues as they arise, as opposed to after the fact.

For example, if an employee were to request short-term disability, you would need to understand your benefits provider’s short-term disability policy and eligibility. You will also be expected to know insurance laws and explain them to your employee. Familiarizing yourself with these laws early on will save you time and equip you with knowledge to navigate legal challenges in the future.

2) Prioritize professional development

HR is a constantly changing field, especially as new conversations arise and technology continues to change the way we work. Staying on top of these changes requires a new set of skills and knowledge. Participating in trainings is one way to stay ahead of the curve.

Many HR professionals also pursue advanced degrees and certifications specific to the field. Some become specialists in a particular area, like payroll, recruiting or benefits. Others, like HR generalists who have a broader set of responsibilities, may choose to continue their professional development through workshops and continued education. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. HR professionals, especially those who are new to the industry, should assess their progress and consult their managers to find a career path that works for them.

3) Be an ethical HR leader

Conflict between colleagues is inevitable in the workplace. Imagine, for example, an employee tells you that their manager, a high-level executive, has treated them unfairly. A situation like this requires you to engage in tough conversations with everyone involved. Being an ethical HR leader means being confident in your moral decisions and effectively communicating them to employees. And, according to the Josephson Institute of Ethics at UC San Diego, making an ethical decision requires three things:

1. Commitment: “The desire to do the right thing regardless of the cost.”

1. Consciousness: “The awareness to act consistently and apply moral convictions to daily behavior.”

1. Competency: “The ability to collect and evaluate information, develop alternatives and foresee potential consequences and risks.”

Understanding where you, and your organization, stand on important issues will be critical in this process. Once you define these ethical standards, you can figure out how to respond to any human resources ethics issue—and maintain your employees’ trust and respect.

4) Understand conflicts of interest

Conflicts of interest are detrimental to how a business operates because they create internal politics that distract from a company’s bottom line and cause the quality of work to deteriorate. Take favouritism for example—the practice of giving certain employees preferential treatment. It is not illegal to play favourites, unless in doing so you are discriminating against someone else on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation or another protected class. While you can’t change the law, you can implement company policies that prohibit this behavior.

One way to establish these policies is to update your employee handbook to define and discourage conflicts of interest—your employees might be partaking in this behavior without realizing it. In the case of favouritism, according to the Employment Law Handbook, the first step is to distinguish between favouritism and fair recognition based on measurable performance. Once you have written standards in place, make sure to also determine consequences for employees who fail to abide by the rules.

5) Implement diversity and inclusion practices

Discussions today about diversity are often focused on recruiting efforts across race, class and gender. While these are important considerations, it’s only one piece of the diversity and inclusion puzzle.

According to Ebay’s Chief Diversity Officer Damien Hooper-Campbell, diversity is about making people feel like they belong. In his interactive session at First Round Capital’s Summit Conference, Hooper-Campbell used the metaphor of a school dance. Everyone is invited to this school dance, he says, but only the jocks are dancing.

“If diversity is being invited to the dance party, inclusion is being invited to dance,” he said. A company might recruit and hire a diverse workforce, but if only certain groups of people feel valued and included, there’s a problem.

By working with colleagues to develop a list of company values and morals, HR professionals set the standard for diversity and inclusion at their organization. This list will help professionals zero in on what’s important to their organization, and hold employees accountable.

6) Keep information confidential

From social security numbers to medical records, HR professionals have access to a lot of confidential information about employees. By making sure paperwork and electronic systems are secure, you can rest easy that your company’s information is protected.

As an HR professional, you also have a legal obligation to keep everything an employee tells you confidential, unless otherwise specified or discussed. For instance, if an employee comes to you with a concern about a colleague or tells you they have witnessed sexist or racist behavior in the office, it is your job to manage this information without revealing your sources.

While HR professionals face a number of hurdles that can make the job challenging, it can also be equally rewarding. After all, HR professionals give a company meaning by improving and enhancing the employee experience. Once you navigate the ethical challenges of the job, you will be able to effectively attract and retain a talented workforce.

Unethical Practices by the HR

Unethical or unfair kind of behaviour and action can happen in different categories as follows:

(a) Employers:

They sometime indulge in unfair practices like one or more of the following:

(i) Creating split in union leaders by inducing regionalism, casteism or ego problems

(ii) Not caring for just demands of the Trade Union and not behaving respectfully with union leaders.

(iii) Trying to create rift between different unions if there are more than one recognised union.

(b) Employees:

However some common problems are as follows:

(i) False claim of age, qualifications and experience. Some even forge marks cards to claim certain qualifications.

(ii) Producing fake certificates of SC/ST category to obtain a job in that category.

(iii) Head of personnel projecting or short listing candidates belonging to his commonly, region or religion.

(c) Government Agencies:

(i) Announcing the vacancies and not taking any action further. Not clear about processing dates, written tests/interview dates and selection dates. Accountability is totally lacking.

(ii) Functioning of government employment offices is not transparent, not reliable and in fact its purpose is not well served.

(iii) Government offices and selection committees will be excessively cautious of reservation quotas and possible court cases rather than going through the responsibilities in an unhindered manner.