Maintaining Ethics through-out the HR Processes

We are all urged to make ethical decisions and to apply ethics to all aspects of our lives. But what exactly is ethics, and why is it important in business, and specifically in Human Resources?

We might conceive of ethics as the principles that guide our behavior in order to make the best decisions for the common good of all. Ethics is what motivates us to speak the truth, honor our promises, and assist those in need. On a daily level, an ethical framework underpins our lives, assisting us in making decisions that have a good influence and steering us away from unjust outcomes.

And now, ethics in HR entails assisting an organization in embedding and upholding its principles at all levels in order to preserve and grow trust. Accountability, or accepting responsibility, is essential.

“The study of acceptable company rules and procedures involves hugely important issues such as corporate governance, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, corporate social responsibility, and fiduciary obligations,” according to the definition of business ethics. It’s the application of a moral framework to the way businesses run, and it shapes and affects how they operate. It might be descriptive (e.g., how to incorporate best practices into an organization’s rules and procedures) or normative (e.g., how employee conduct is connected to cultural or societal concerns).

Failure to apply certain ethical principles may have a negative impact on a business’s future compliance. These values include being responsible for financial or other customer data, preventing fraud and misrepresentation in operations, treating employees and customers with respect and dignity, and giving back to the organization’s community.

In human resources, business ethics is very crucial. HR, as the department that engages directly with a company’s employees, bears a substantial portion of the responsibility for enforcing business policies and practices in an ethical manner.

As human resource professionals, we are accountable for bringing value to the organizations we serve and contributing to their ethical success. We embrace professional responsibility for our own judgments and activities. We also serve as advocates for the profession by participating in activities that increase its legitimacy and value.

Hiring is one of the areas of human resources that is most influenced by corporate ethics. For example, if an employee is discovered to have fabricated facts on a job application after being employed, and in such a scenario, the HR department does not have rules in place to manage this specific case, the firm may face potential wrongful dismissal charges. Furthermore, to achieve legal compliance as well as ethical decision making, the organization must address issues of equal opportunity, antidiscrimination policies, and legal compliance regarding recruiting practices at the earliest stage of recruitment. Knowing how to “hire smart” is essential for any employer, regardless of the state of the economy. An organization that does not think strategically about recruiting risks losing out on the best prospects, failing to hire a diverse workforce, or, worse, exposing itself to lawsuits for discriminatory hiring practices. For instance,

• Describe the job’s duties and responsibilities, beginning with the broadest and progressing to the most specific.
• Being objective in stating job criteria and prerequisites.
• Including words stating that you are an “Equal Opportunity Employer” and that nothing in the job posting or description should be interpreted as an offer or promise of employment.
• Attracting a broad array of qualified applicants, and more…

Another issue that HR must address on a regular basis is the ethics of employee privacy. Companies, for example, commonly conduct background checks on job applicants before making employment offers. These checks are required from the standpoint of the employer since they decrease liability by ensuring that the information provided by the applicant is correct. Employers must, however, follow reasonable guidelines in obtaining this information: inquiries must be related to the job for which the applicant is applying, and the applicant must be informed about the information that will be checked and then give written consent for the potential employer to obtain it.

In human resources, applying ethics implies assisting an organization in embedding and upholding its principles at all levels to preserve and increase trust. Accountability, or accepting responsibility, is a critical component of that function.

Any organization should have documented ethical standards and procedures in place, not only to guarantee that employees and corporate leaders do the right thing, but also to safeguard the company from responsibility. Hence, ethics can not be separated from human resources.