Pages: 5

The introduction outlines the overall purpose of the Human Resource Management and Ethics at Work book. Its main aim is to answer the question of why a human resources professional should be ethical. The book contributes to a body of knowledge about how the human resources profession contributes to improving working lives and the development of responsible organisations, along with the broader social impact of the profession. The introduction outlines the knowledge that the reader should be equipped with by the end of the book. It also gives a brief summary of the content and structure of each chapter so that the reader can identify the topics that are of most interest to them.

Pages: 57

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 18

This chapter asks whether honesty is a virtue needed by a good human resources professional. Honesty is analysed as a complex characteristic that relates to a variety of different types of dishonest behaviours, such as lying, cheating, and stealing. Business professionals value honesty as an important trait, and organisations also regularly identify being honest as a value. The chapter uses contemporary research to propose areas of human resources practice that can support organisations and employees in developing honest character. These include recruitment, promotion, reward, recognition, organisational values, and employee codes of conduct. The impact that an individual human resources professional can have on others by role modelling honesty is also revealed by these research sources.

Pages: 20

This chapter evaluates what integrity means for a human resources professional. It assesses different definitions, identifying similarities and differences between them, and attempts to define integrity in a way that makes sense for the modern human resources professional. This challenge of definition and clarity of the concept of integrity continues to emerge in consideration of the organisational context. Although organisations share common ground in ranking integrity as highly valued, they differ widely in their interpretations of the concept. Against this complex backdrop, the chapter identifies different ways in which human resources practices can support the development of organisational and employee integrity, including through supporting organisational culture, compliance, and integrity training. The individual human resources professional is challenged to think about their values and how they maintain their integrity in the face of potentially conflicting obligations to employers, employees, and professional bodies, along with the potentially undermining impact of unconscious bias.

Pages: 17

This chapter prioritises professional courage as an essential characteristic of a good human resources professional. The historical concept of courage is brought up to date and defined in a way that makes sense in the world of work and organisational contexts. The importance of courage is perhaps not so widely recognised by organisations, but nonetheless, research presented here identifies organisational benefits, including innovation and problem-solving. Human resources professionals can be influential in areas of organisational context that can have a significant impact on whether employees can be courageous, including clarity on roles, encouraging care and concern for others, and organisational culture. The human resources practitioner is invited to identify situations in which they can be more courageous to develop this important character trait.

Pages: 91

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 18

This chapter analyses the responsibilities of a human resources professional. It develops an understanding of the conditions under which moral responsibility can be assigned. It debates whether moral responsibility can be properly assigned to an organisation itself or whether it can only be assigned to its individual members. Landing on the side of the argument that says collectives, such as organisations or departments, can have moral responsibilities, the chapter narrows down areas that can be described as the responsibility of human resources departments, aligning with the types of human resources practices that have been identified in earlier chapters. Building on the earlier discussion of integrity, this chapter delves further into the conflicts that human resources professionals face in balancing their different responsibilities to employers, employees, and professional bodies.

Pages: 17

This chapter ponders the question of whether human resources professionals should speak up about issues in the workplace. Typically, human resources professional bodies demand that they should, but in contrast, there are few, if any, high-profile cases reported of human resources practitioners doing so. There are different theoretical perspectives on when whistleblowing is justified or required. Whichever of these justifications is more compelling, of most importance to human resources practice is the influence it can have on implementing effective whistleblowing processes within their organisations. Even where there are effective whistleblowing processes in place, there remains a challenge for an individual human resources professional that results from their dual role in enforcing company policies and protecting employee rights. Historical whistleblowing cases are used to highlight the nature of risks and challenges faced by human resources professionals when deciding to speak out.

Pages: 18

This chapter illustrates the importance of human resources professionals being fair and equitable. Classic theories of justice and fairness are outlined before being adapted and applied to the work context. The chapter narrows its focus to concerns of distributive justice because reward management is an area of human resources specialism, and there is a clear connection between pay and distribution. Fairness and equity in reward management is of key importance for both organisational reputation and the motivation of individual employees. The chapter evaluates different approaches to achieving fairness and equity in pay, including transparency and pay audits, using research that presents advantages and disadvantages of differing practices.

Pages: 17

This chapter explores current challenges a human resources professional faces in safeguarding employee data in the light of advances in artificial intelligence and big data analytics. These challenges need addressing because there are clear benefits to an organisation utilising such technological advances. However, human resources professionals need to be aware of the potential ethical pitfalls of adopting new technologies and building safeguards into implementation processes to protect employees. At present, obtaining informed consent for the collection, storage, and processing of employee data is common. This chapter questions whether such consent is sufficient to safeguard employee data and suggests that other values, such as trustworthiness, are important.

Pages: 17

This chapter considers the role that human resources professionals should play in promoting equality and diversity and in building inclusive workplaces. The example of disability is used to illustrate some of the challenges to creating inclusive environments that the good human resources professional will need to support their organisation in overcoming. Research suggests that there are benefits for an organisation from creating an inclusive environment, such as organisational performance and better decision-making. The chapter introduces practices that human resources professionals can consider for enhancing inclusive organisational environments, including examples such as clear anti-bullying policies and approaches to inter-generational working that can help develop an inclusive culture.

Pages: 34

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 15

This chapter expands beyond the human resources professional’s immediate organisational context and considers the broader social impact they can have by creating good work for those in their local communities. The chapter compares and contrasts different theoretical understandings of what ‘good work’ means. Some researchers are concerned about whether there is sufficient good work available. Human resources professionals are ideally placed to increase the amount of good work available by influencing the job design processes within their organisations. Some of the methods discussed that human resources professionals can implement include job enrichment, job crafting, and self-managing teams to increase employee autonomy.

Pages: 16

This chapter takes a broad perspective, exploring what it means to be a socially responsible human resources professional. The chapter sets the background context of corporate social responsibility, its meaning, and how human resources professionals can contribute to its delivery. Extending beyond supporting the delivery of organisational social responsibility aims, the chapter uses the example of low pay to illustrate an area of human resources practice that can have a wider social impact beyond the immediate organisation. The second example used in the chapter explores how green human resources practices can contribute toward environmental sustainability and delivery of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Pages: 1

The conclusion summarises some final thoughts from the author on what it means to be an ethical human resources professional. The author concludes that the ethical human resources professional faces challenges in balancing their different responsibilities towards employers, employees, and professional bodies whilst acting in accord with their values. The book has aimed to deepen the understanding of human resources students and practitioners about key values that help them resolve these challenges, including honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, justice, and inclusion. The author concludes with a call to continued action, urging human resources professionals to view development of character and values as an ongoing endeavour.