Introduction
HRM is defined as the process of planning, establishing, directing and supervising human actions in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization (Dessler, 5). Ethics on the other hand, refers to values that have been imbibed within individuals in an organization that enable them to act accordingly and differentiate between right and wrong. There are many sources of ethics such as organizational culture, legal obligations and religion among others. Ethics in HRM indicates that employees should be treated with distributive justice and ordinary decency (Dessler, 28). Fair treatment of the employees contributes greatly to the attainment of goals and objectives of an organization as it leads to motivation which translates to efficiency and effectiveness at work. Ethics has become an issue of great concern today given that decisions by human resource managers affect people’s jobs and their future employment. In general sense, ethics in HRM is mainly concerned with the moral obligations that an employer has towards employees to maintain equity justice and equality.
Ethical Behaviors
HRM professionals have a number of ethical, moral and legal obligations. In the processes of hiring, training, reviewing, ending of employment and working with employees, there are usually a number of ethical implications; positive or negative (Dessler, 28). As these professionals have to exhibit high levels of professionalism and ethical behavior. Fair treatment is one of the ethical behaviors that all HRM professionals mush exhibit. The human resource staff always strives to ensure the consistent application of organization policies regardless of the position of the employees. Employees expect to be treated equally in the organization (Delaney & Mark, 4). Fair treatment will result in the embracing of the organization policies and mission. HR strives to ensure the elimination of bias and the provision of equal opportunities for all. Pay equity is another key ethical behavior. Pay equity relies on the principle that there should be equal pay for equal work. Workers with the same job and responsibilities should have similar pay. Additionally, the pay offered should match that of the same jobs in the industry. Employees are also entitles to rewards and bonuses. The HR department often investigates issues in the workplace and tries to resolve them before they escalate. As a result, they create conflict resolution mechanisms and promote respect within the organization. Diversity is also another ethical behavior. HR should provide equal employment to all despite age, race, gender or sexual orientation. Other ethical behaviors include providing opportunities for training and development, counseling and confidentiality of information.
Importance of Ethics in Human Resource
Ethics plays an important role in HRM. The human resources function is usually faced with a number of ethical issues given that it’s the department that deals directly with employees. A number of ethical issues if not handled properly can damage the reputation of an organization or may lead to financial losses (Dessler, 28). Ethics in HRM ensures that the organization follows the set laws on HR. Any breaches in the laws governing HR may lead to suits that may prove costly to the organization. An organization with a comprehensive ethics program may avoid such trouble with the law (Cooke & Shipton, 7). Ethics also promotes employee loyalty. The ethical treatment of employees can foster employee loyalty and trust which will yield much benefits for an organization. Loyal employees will work in the organization for a long time and working hard hence leading to the attainment of goals and objectives. Loyal employees will reduce employment costs of organization under control. They will also serve as champions of the organization leading the organization to achieve a competitive edge. Ethics promotes a positive image of the company. Any unethical practices in the organization will damage a company’s reputation leading to loss of customers and losses (Cooke & Shipton, 7). Unethical practices such as discrimination will catch the media’s eye and hence hurting the tarnishing the company. An ethical company will attract talents from all over and also more customers.
Ethics Issues
The HR department is faced with a number of ethical issues that it must handle properly. Labor cost is one of the issues. HR departments deal with the conflicting issue of keeping labor costs low while offering competitive and fair wages (Delaney & Mark, 4). The workers should not be underpaid. The working conditions must also be safe and secure, and must also take into account all groups of people including the disabled. Fair hiring is also an issue to contend with. Hiring should not discriminate against age, gender, sexual orientation or race. Similarly, termination must be justified. Termination should not be biased and must be done in line with the organization policies. Benefits and rewards should also be rewarded to employees. HR should make sure that the company does not renege on these benefits. Another issue relates to training and development. Since training leads to new skills and promotes career growth, participants to these programs must be fairly chosen. Promotion of employees should also be done through merit and fairly. Conflicts in the organization must also be resolved fairly without bias and discrimination or else the employees may see favoritism and discrimination (Cooke & Shipton, 9). Employees are also entitled to leave days and hence this must be honored. They should not be denied their time-off from work even if there is much work. Employees are also entitled to work for a specific amount of time; they should not work for longer hours. Longer working hours should be accompanied with additional pay. Coercion and the use of force is another key ethical issue in HR. Employees should not be threatened or forced to act or comply with any rules or directives.
Conclusion
Ethics plays a vital role in HRM. It is through ethical behaviors such as fair treatment and equality that a company thrives. Failure to abide by the HR ethics may lead to a poor reputation of the company, legal suits and losses for the company. The HR function is a critical function of an organization as it involves dealing with the employees. As a result, the HR department is often faced with a huge challenge to ensure that ethics are fostered all over the organization. A company with a comprehensive HR ethics policy will avoid costly legal suits and will thrive greatly in its industry as it will avoid issues such as discrimination in hiring, promoting and firing, child labor, and equal pay among others.
Works Cited
Cooke, Peter, and John Shipton. "Ethics and Human Resource Management." Business Ethics and Business Behaviour / Edited by Ken Smith and Phil Johnson. (1996). Print.
Delaney, John T, and Mark A. Huselid. "The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Perceptions of Organizational Performance." The Academy of Management Journal. 39.4 (1996): 949-969. Print.
Dessler, Gary. Human Resource Management. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
