Hiring Ethical People

Lecture 7

Sometimes, after dismissing an employee for an ethical breach, a manager might wonder: How did that person get through the hiring process? Hiring just one employee with an unethical value system someone whose sense of morality and fairness does not match that of a high-integrity work culturecan corrupt an organization.

The Five-Step Ethics Job Screen FiveProcess y Step 1: Legal Ground Rules
Gather and use information in a way that does not discriminate against job candidates based on their race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability.

Step 2: Behavioral Information

Behavioral information about a job candidates ethics is more reliable than attitudinal survey results or responses to hypothetical dilemmas. y Four recruiting tools can provide useful behavioral information about a job candidates ethics:
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resumes, reference checks, Background checks, and integrity tests.

Resumes
The best predictor of future performance is past performance. A job candidates previous accomplishments are encapsulated on a resume or job application. y Typically, resumes contain valuable information about previous work experience and educational attainment, as well as awards received for outstanding performance and community service activities. y Some job candidates stretch the truth, or lie outright, to look good on paper. False information or inconsistencies on resumes are indicative of a persons lack of ethics and trustworthiness.
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If false information is detected, notify the job candidate and ask for an explanation of the discrepancy. y Correct and forgive innocent mistakes or misunderstandings. More serious infractions serve as a warning about the candidates willingness to circumvent the truth to gain a competitive advantage. y Choose an equally qualified job candidate instead. If none are available, then carefully monitor the new hire until trust has been earned.
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Reference Checks
Job candidates usually list references predisposed to sharing positive information. y The most important information an employer can y receive is the previous supervisors perspective of the job candidates strengths and weaknesses. y If it is not listed among the references, request the previous supervisors contact information and ask the job candidate why the person was not listed. Maybe the supervisor was unethical or might be upset that the employee quit.
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For management positions, request the names of previous subordinates as references. y An excellent manager would welcome the opportunity to do so. Ask the previous subordinate whether he or she would want to work for this manager again. If it is not possible to contact the subordinate, ask the candidate how a previous subordinate would classify the applicants strengths and weaknesses.
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Some references are hesitant to provide information critical of the job applicant for fear of being sued. Some former employers refuse all reference inquiries, while others will only verify the dates of employment. y Even in this worst case situation, the former supervisor or employer can be asked: Would you hire this person again? y References are usually willing to share positive information about a former employee, even if their organization has a strict policy not to divulge anything beyond the basic employment facts. If the contact person responds very favorably to the question, that might be all the information needed. If the contact person hesitates, or refuses to answer, then that too can be valuable information.
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Background Checks
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Conduct background checks to verify a job candidates educational accomplishments and prior work responsibilities, the two resume areas most prone to lies and exaggerations.

Educational accomplishments are a common resume problem. A background check could reveal that a workshop attended at a local college or university has been inflated to the status of coursework taken toward an advanced degree. y A background check can also reveal whether the listed higher education institution is legitimate or an unaccredited diploma mill that provides credentials to people without taking courses. y Other types of background checks include credit checks, criminal records, motor vehicle reports.
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Integrity Tests
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Integrity tests, also referred to as honesty tests, typically gather information about the job candidates behaviors and attitudes toward unethical workplace activities, such as theft.

Integrity tests may take any of the following four approaches: 1. Direct admission of performing an illegal or questionable activity:' I stole money from my previous employer. 2. Opinions regarding illegal or questionable behavior: It is okay for people to steal from employers. 3. Personality traits related to dishonesty: I constantly think about stealing from my employer. 4. Reaction to a hypothetical situation featuring dishonest behavior: If I saw an employee steal money, I would ignore the situation and wait for the boss to find out.

Researchers have found that individuals with low integrity test scores at the time of employment, compared to those with higher scores, are more likely to later engage in theft, have high absenteeism, break rules, cheat, and become disciplinary problems

Step 3: Personality Traits

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measures for personality traits such as conscientiousness, organizational citizenship behavior, and social dominance and bullying.

Conscientiousness
Of the hundreds of possible personality measures, conscientiousness is the best predictor of ethics and job performance. Individuals who behave ethically also tend to be responsible, dependable, and hardworking. This is particularly noteworthy because conscientiousness is a strong predictor of job performance. As with integrity tests, personality tests can be prone to eliciting socially desirable answers because the desired character trait being measured is somewhat obvious. Conscientiousness scores can be verified with a reference check.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to helping behaviors that go beyond normal job requirements, such as aiding others with their job-related problems. y OCB is most often measured using five factors:
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altruism, courtesy, civic virtue, conscientiousness, and sportsmanship.

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Researchers report that individuals who score high on OCB also score high for task effectiveness, and being optimistic and team oriented.

Social Dominance and Bullying

Ethics demands sincere, open-minded, respectful conversations with a wide variety of people about alternative actions under consideration. y Social dominance orientation (SDO) is the belief that an individuals particular group membership (defined in terms of race, gender, religion, or ethnicity) is superior to other groups. y Researchers have found high SDO scores associated with racism and sexism. y SDO survey items include: To get ahead in life, it is sometimes necessary to step on other groups and Inferior groups should stay in their place.
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Step 4: Interview Questions

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Interview job finalists about their responses to ethical dilemmas experienced at previous workplaces, and how they would respond to ethical dilemmas experienced by current employees.

Asking job candidates to describe how they managed an ethical dilemma at a previous employer can provide very useful information. y Human beings are creatures of habit, and the job candidate will be bringing his or her ethical dilemma response patterns to the new place of employment.
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Step 5: Other TestsAlcohol, Tests Drug,and Polygraph Tests

Individuals who abuse alcohol and drugs are likely to bring these problems with them to the workplace and are in need of treatment and recovery. y Research studies have found that alcohol and drug use negatively impacts productivity, workplace safety, and employee morale, and can damage a companys reputation in the community. Alcohol and drug tests are easy to conduct and relatively inexpensive.
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