North South University

School of Business and Economics

EMB 602-1
Human Resource Management
Summer Semester 2020
Lecture 11
 Today’s Lecture

Ethics, justice and fair treatment

 Lecture outline
What is meant by ethical behaviour at work
Important factors that shape ethical behaviour at work
Four specific ways in which HR management can influence ethical
behaviour at work
Employ fair disciplinary practices
Four important factors in managing dismissals effectively
Ethics and Fair Treatment at Work
The Meaning of Ethics
The principles of conduct governing an
individual or a group.
The standards you use to decide what your
conduct should be.
Ethical behaviour depends on a person’s frame
of reference.
What is Ethical Behaviour?

Ethical behaviour means:

Knowing the difference between right & wrong.
Consciously choosing to do right.
 Sources of Ethics
Genetic Inheritance: the qualities of goodness is a
product of genetic traits strengthened over time by the
evolutionary process.
Religious Beliefs: religious morality is clearly a primary
focus in shaping our societal ethics.
Philosophical Systems: the quality of pleasure to be
derived from an act was the essential measure of its
goodness.
Cultural Experience: individual values are shaped in
large measure by the norms of the society.
 Sources of Ethics…
The legal system: laws represent a rough approximation of
society’s ethical standards.
National & ethnic beliefs.
Family practices.
Educational experiences.
Senior management influence.
Friends/peers.
 Sources of Ethics…
Media
Corporate mission, vision, & values
statements
Activists or advocacy groups
Business or industry organizations
Professional associations
 Ethics and Fair Treatment at Work
Ethical Decisions
Normative judgments (a normative
statement expresses a value judgment about
whether a situation is desirable or undesirable. It
looks at the world as it "should" be.)
Morality (principles concerning the distinction
between right and wrong or good & bad
behaviour.)
 What is Organizational Culture?
o Organizational culture
o The characteristic values, traditions, and behaviours a company’s
employees share.
o How is culture is revealed?
o Ceremonial events
o Written rules and spoken commands
o Office layout
o Organizational structure
o Dress codes
o Cultural symbols and behaviours
o Figureheads [someone who has the position of leader in an organization but who has no real
power]
HRM-Related Ethics Activities
oSelection
oFostering the perception of fairness in the
processes of recruitment and hiring of people.
o Formal procedures
o Interpersonal treatment
o Providing explanations
o Selection tools
o Two-way communication
HRM-Related Ethics Activities
oTraining
oHow to recognize ethical dilemmas.
oHow to use ethical frameworks to resolve
problems.
oHow to use HR functions in ethical ways.
HRM-Related Ethics Activities (cont’d)
Performance Appraisal
Appraisals that make it clear that the company
adheres to high ethical standards by measuring
and rewarding employees who follow those
standards.
Reward and Disciplinary Systems
The organization swiftly and harshly punishes
unethical conduct.
HRM-Related Ethics Activities (cont’d)

Workplace Aggression and Violence

Taking care that HR actions do not foster
perceptions of inequities that translate into
dysfunctional behaviours by employees.
Discipline Without Punishment
(Nonpunitive Discipline)
o Issue an oral reminder.
o Should another incident arise within six weeks, issue a formal
written reminder, a copy of which is placed in the employee’s
personnel file.
o Give a paid, one-day “decision-making leave.”
o If no further incidents occur in the next year, then purge the
one-day paid suspension from the person’s file. If the behaviour
is repeated, the next step is dismissal.
 Employee Privacy
Employee privacy violations upheld by courts:
Intrusion
Publication of private matters
Disclosure of medical records
Appropriation of an employee’s name or likeness
 Employee Privacy
Actions triggering privacy violations:
Background checks
Monitoring off-duty conduct and lifestyle
Drug testing
Workplace searches
Monitoring of workplace
 Bullying and Victimization
Bullying vary…involves three things…
Imbalance of power: people who bully use their
power to control or harm, and the people being
bullied may have a hard time defending themselves;
Intent to cause harm: actions done by accident
are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to
cause harm;
 Bullying and Victimization
Bullying vary…involves three things…
Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same person
over and over by the same person or group, and that
bullying can take many forms, such as:
Verbal: name-calling, teasing
Social: spreading rumors, leaving people out on purpose,
breaking up friendships
Physical: hitting, punching, shoving
Cyberbullying: using the internet, mobile phones, or
other digital technologies to harm others
Managing Dismissals
o Dismissal
o Involuntary termination of an employee’s
employment with the firm.
o Terminate-at-Will Rule
o 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.
Avoiding Wrongful Discharge Suits
o Bases for Wrongful Discharge Suits
o Discharge does not comply with the law.
o Discharge does not comply with the contractual arrangement
stated or implied by the firm via its employment application
forms, employee manuals, or other promises.
o Avoiding Wrongful Discharge Suits
o Set up employment policies and dispute resolution procedures
that make employees feel treated fairly.
o Do the preparatory work that helps to avoid such suits.
 Termination Assistance
Outplacement Counseling
A systematic process by which a terminated employee is trained
and counseled in the techniques of conducting a self-appraisal
and securing a new job appropriate to his or her needs and
talents.
Does not imply that the employer takes responsibility for
placing the person in a new job.
Is part of the terminated employee’s support or severance
package and is often done by specialized outside firms.
Interviewing Departing Employees
Exit Interview
Its aim is to elicit information about the job or related matters
that might give the employer a better insight into what is right
—or wrong—about the company.
The assumption is that because the employee is leaving, he
or she will be candid.
The quality of information gained from exit interviews is
questionable.