What is HRM Ethics?

•HRM Ethics is “the affirmative moral obligations of

the employer (business) towards the employees to
maintain equality and equity justice”

•Do not treat people (employees) simply as a means

for our own purposes without their full and free
consent, because they are ends in themselves
 Employees’ rights and duties
Rights Duties
To work Loyalty to the firm
For just compensation Respect for current legal and moral
norms

To free association and strike Respect the rights of the employer

For privacy Just contribution to the organization

For freedom of speech Maintain secrecy/confidentiality

To due process Cooperation with boss/subordinates

For participation

For healthy and safe working

conditions

To job satisfaction
 Employers’ rights and duties
Rights Duties

Demand minimal productivity from No discrimination in rules for

employees recruitment and conditions for firing

Loyal cooperation from employees Fair compensation

Requirement of correct behaviour at Work oriented code of conduct

the workplace

No disruption in work Acceptance of criticism from workers

Peaceful ways of settlement Acceptance of labour court

jurisprudence in conflicts

Improving QWL
Ethical Behavior at Work
What Shapes Ethical Behavior at Work?
• Individual factors
• Organizational factors
• The boss’s influence
• Ethics policies and codes
• The organization’s culture

Unethical business environments can:

• De-motivate individuals
• Make good employees leave the company
• Attract unethical employees
• Lead to the lack of trust by the employees for the
company.
HR Responses
• Take steps to eliminate and discourage reasons for
misbehavior and introduce and encourage reasons to
behave ethically
• Develop an appraisal system that rewards individuals
for ethical behaviors and punishes those who act
unethically
• HR can use its expertise to communicate with the
workforce to get out the ethical message
Guidelines for Fostering an Ethical Culture

• Have a well developed policy and procedures

manual
• Enforce policies
• Reward compliance
• Recruit ethical employees
• Create a division to oversee ethics
Conclusion
• Whenever you are required to make a difficult
decision, especially one that is ethically
challenging, select an option that you would
be comfortable describing to the nation on the
evening news