Introduction to HRM

 Chapter 14

Ethics, Justice and

Fair Treatment in
HR Management /
Building Positive
Employee Relations
Employee Relations
 The managerial activity that involves establishing
and maintaining the positive employee-employer
relationships that contribute to satisfactory
productivity, motivation, morale and discipline and
to maintaining a positive, productive and cohesive
work environment
Employee Relations Programs

 Ensuring fair treatment

 Procedural justice is the fairness of the process by
which outcomes are allocated in an organization.
 Distributive justice is the fairness of outcomes that
individuals receive in an organization
 Bullying and victimization
 Communication programs
 Recognition programs
 Involvement programs
Ethics

 The principles of conduct governing an

individual or a group.

 Standards of right conduct.

14–4
What shapes/determine Ethical Behavior At
Work?
The person

Ethically dangerous situation

The outside factors

14–5
Creating Ethical Environment
 Reduce job-related pressures
 Institute ethics policies and codes
 Enforce the rules
 Encourage whistleblowers
 Foster the right culture
 Hire right
 Use ethics training
 Use rewards and discipline
 Institute employee privacy policies

14–6
What Is Organizational Culture?

 Organizational Culture
 The characteristic values, traditions, and
behaviors a firm’s employees share

 How Managers Can Support an Ethical Culture

 Clarifying expectations with respect to critical values
 “Walking the talk” in having their actions align with
values
 Providing physical support through the use of ethical
managerial values

14–7
The Boss’s Influence on Ethical Behavior

Tell staffers to do whatever is necessary

to achieve results

Overload top performers to ensure that

the work gets done
Leading
Employees
Astray Look the other way when wrongdoing
occurs

Take credit for others’ work or shift

blame

14–8
Managing Employee Discipline

Fair and Just Discipline Process

Rules
Penalties Appeals process
and regulations

14–9
Discipline Without Punishment
(Non-punitive Discipline)

1. Issue an oral reminder.

2. Should another incident arise within six weeks,
issue a formal written reminder, a copy of which
is placed in the employee’s personnel file.
3. Give a paid, one-day “decision-making leave.”
4. If no further incidents occur in the next year,
then remove the one-day paid suspension from
the person’s file. If the behavior is repeated, the
next step is dismissal.
14–10
Managing Dismissals
 Dismissal
 Involuntary termination of an employee with the firm

 Grounds for Dismissal

 Unsatisfactory performance
 Misconduct
 Lack of qualification
 Changed requirements the job

14–11
 Insubordination

1. Direct disregard of the boss’s authority.

2. Direct disobedience of, or refusal to obey,
the boss’s orders, particularly in front of others.
3. Deliberate defiance of clearly stated company
policies, rules, regulations, and procedures.
4. Public criticism of the boss.
5. Blatant disregard of reasonable instructions.
6. Contemptuous display of disrespect.
7. Disregard for the chain of command.
8. Participation in (or leadership of) an effort to
undermine and remove the boss from power.
14–12
Managing Dismissals
 Fairness in Dismissals
 Provide the employee with full explanations of why
and how termination decisions were made.
 Institute a formal multi-step procedure (including
warning) and establish a neutral appeal process.
 Have the employee’s direct supervisor informed about
the dismissal decision.

 Terminate-at-Will
 Without a contract, the employee can resign for any
reason, at will, and the employer can similarly dismiss
the employee for any reason (or no reason), at will.
14–13
Managing Dismissals (cont’d)

 Wrongful Discharge
 An employee dismissal that does not comply with the law
or does not comply with the contractual arrangement
stated or implied by the firm via its employment
application forms, employee manuals, or other promises.

14–14
To avoid Wrongful Discharge
 Include grievance procedure in employment policies
 Make sure employment application contains the statement “the
employer can terminate at any time”
 Review employment manual to delete statements like
“employees can be terminated only for just cause”
 Have written rules listing infractions that may require discipline
and discharge
 Get the worker’s side of story in front of witnesses
 Employees should get written appraisal annually. Give warning
for incompetence. Provide opportunity to improve
 Carefully keep confidential records of all actions such as
appraisals, warnings
Managing Dismissals (cont’d)

 Security Measures
 Disable employee passwords and network access.
 Collect all company property and keys.
 Escort employee from company property.