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It is also important for a HRS manager to be involved in organization-wide ethics… Specially when a situation in any other area in an organization can be easily blended with a direct ethical duty of the HRS manager. When dealing with any aspect of an organization, an HRS manager must always proceed in an ethical fashion. One key point in acting ethically is always remembering an HRS manager “must manage humans not as resources, but as autonomous individuals with legitimate rights and interests” (Mellon, 201 1, peg. 74).
Therefore, an HRS manager must approach every situation with fairness and equality in mind. Below will discuss certain ethical challenges HRS managers face and will also discuss certain ways to remedy the halogens. Three major types of ethical issues, that HRS managers face, are discernment, conflict of personal judgment and responsibility, and conflict or appearance of conflict of interest. HRS managers face the issue of discernment when they are “determining the right thing to do in very complex situations” while not always having complete information at hand (Mellon, 201 1, peg. 4). HRS managers face the issue of personal judgment and responsibility when the HRS manager feels that it is being asked of them to approach something in an unethical manner, but having the responsibility of doing what is being asked. Sometimes an HRS manager will do what they feel is unethical out of fear of repercussion for not doing so. An HRS manager can encounter a conflict of interest when the HRS manager’s personal interest is not the same of the interest of the employer. Per Mellon (201 1), the “common challenge to all three problems is recognizing them” (peg. 74).
Another way to be better prepared when faced with ethical decisions is to enhance one’s knowledge and ability to recognize moral issues. Ways to help recognize moral issues include: talking with other managers in the field; reading magazines, journals, newspapers, etc. Hat are discussing ethics; and listening more carefully to employee’s comments and concerns. Though listening more carefully to employees is supposed to help increase an HRS manager’s ability to recognize ethical issues, it then becomes a responsibility of the HRS manager to be able to discover and understand the potential for hidden motives behind the conversation.
Having policies and procedures in place are also good tools to help deter ethical challenges. When writing the policies and procedures, it is important to keep in mind laws and also to ensure the policies and procedures are fair for everyone. HRS managers also fight many daily ethical challenges as well. The job of an HRS manager spans many areas of the organization. The HRS managers responsibilities typically include, but are not limited to: recruiting, selection, new-hire training, and compensation. An HRS manager has the potential to run into ethical issues with any of the responsibilities listed.
Recruiting includes responsibilities of establishing minimum qualifications for a job, determining new-hire pay ranges, and advertising the job opening. The responsibility of establishing minimum qualifications for a job can leave the HRS manager faced with ethical issues. For example, most hiring managers will have a certain set of qualifications they are looking for in an employee. If a hiring manager does not want an applicant On their team, there can be times when a hiring manager will pad the minimum qualifications in order to almost guarantee the employee’s placement will not happen.
Though the hiring manager might have good reason to not want an applicant on their team, the HRS manager still has an ethical duty to attempt to eliminate this type of behavior all together. Establishing a salary range can also provide the HRS manager with ethical halogens. It is known that the labor market fluctuates with the economy. It is the HRS manager’s responsibility to offer wages based on the labor market. This can be a challenge for the HRS manager due to the fact that employees could potentially be hired on at a higher wage than some seasoned employees currently make. The ethical consideration for the HRS manager then becomes whether to take steps to increase the salaries of the existing employees, or change the job classifications of the new employees” (Mellon, 201 1, peg. 76). Advertising for the job opening can also pose ethical challenges. When deeding to determine which avenues to advertise in, an HRS manager must approach each side with caution. The HRS manager should consider if the position is being advertised equally to all potential applicants. Some common forms of advertising include: word-of-mouth, and advertising on the internet.
Each form has its own set of ethical issues. Word of mouth advertising has been said to be the best form of advertising. However, this type of advertising can create a pool of applicants who have qualifications and traits that are extremely alike others currently on the workforce, especially if most applicants were referred by current employees. Having a diverse pool Of applicants will help eliminate the potential issue of discrimination. When faced with this issue, the HRS manager should consider advertising in other forms. The internet is another great way to advertise a job opening.
However, some can debate that this type of advertising is only accessible to people of a certain class (I. E. Individuals who have access to a computer, and who know how to use the internet). Per Mellon (2011), “the HRS managers ethical obligation is foremost, not to bias the pool unfairly… ” (peg. 77). The process of selecting a new employee can have ethical issues. One ethical issue is regarding the screening process in order for employees to be selected. The screening process can include different types of questions and tests. Tests on behavior, for example, can infringe on an applicant’s right of not disclosing certain types of information.
These types of tests might also be intimidating to a point where the applicant only answers questions the way they think the employer wants to see… Which makes the tests an invalid form of screening. Genetic screenings can also happen before an applicant will be considered as an employee. Genetic screenings can discriminate against applicants who have poor genetic makeup, at no fault of their own. These tests are based on a hypothesis that the applicant will end up with a genetic disease or illness, which can potentially become a liability to the Organization.
Regardless of what types of screening an applicant goes through, an HRS manager must always keep hiring laws into consideration. It is the HRS manager’s ethical and legal responsibility to adhere to all laws put in place (I. E. Title VII which protects applicants from being selected, or not, based on qualifications such as: race, color, religion, sex, and national origin). HRS managers have an ethical responsibility to explain the employment to employees, and to do so in a manner that is understood. The HRS manager must also provide documents to the new-hire (I. E. A handbook or bargaining contract).
An HRS manager must also be ethical and give the employee an accurate picture of the job and offer a wage that is competitive and not in violation of equal pay. Not only does an HRS manager face daily issues when dealing with attempting to fill vacancies, the HRS manager also faces daily ethical issues when dealing with current employees as well. Training employees, for example, can create ethical issues. The HRS manager should come up with a training system best suited, and most fair, for all employees. Holding back on training opportunities, in fear that the employee’s new found knowledge will make them work elsewhere, is not behaving fairly.
Employees should have equal opportunity for training and advancement. It is also an ethical obligation for an HRS manager to disclose any health or safety risks associated with the job, in ways that are understood by all employees. Career development goes hand in hand with training. It is the ethical responsibility of n HRS manager to devise a career development plan that is fair for all employees. HRS mangers should also act ethically and give feedback to those who are not eligible for advancement as to why advancement is not being offered.
Possibly one of the most grueling issues an HRS manager will face is determining employee compensation. HRS managers should propose a compensation that does not propose conflicts. Therefore, HRS managers should proceed with caution when trying to determine an employees pay. Basing compensation on characteristics, such as seniority, may be viewed as unfair and discriminatory. While remaining fair, HRS managers must also be ere there are appropriate gaps in compensation based on the level an individual is at within the organization.