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LMDP - Week 4 Part 1 - Professionalism and Ethical HRM

This document provides an overview of a lecture on professionalism and ethics in human resource management. It discusses the role of professional bodies in setting standards, and defines ethics as moral principles that guide research activities. It also examines some of the ethical issues that HR professionals may face, such as balancing business needs with employee welfare. Stakeholder perspectives on ethics are presented, as well as the CIPD's view that HR should encourage ethical decision-making.

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42 views17 pages

LMDP - Week 4 Part 1 - Professionalism and Ethical HRM

This document provides an overview of a lecture on professionalism and ethics in human resource management. It discusses the role of professional bodies in setting standards, and defines ethics as moral principles that guide research activities. It also examines some of the ethical issues that HR professionals may face, such as balancing business needs with employee welfare. Stakeholder perspectives on ethics are presented, as well as the CIPD's view that HR should encourage ethical decision-making.

Uploaded by

Fiza Kiran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Leading,

Managing and
Developing
People

Dr Amanda Lee
Week 4 – Part one

Professionalism and
Ethical HRM
Session Overview
• Follow-up on Directed Study Activity last week.
• Professionalism and HRM/HRD.
• The role of Professional bodies.
• What does ethics mean?
• Ethics and HRM.
• Business, economic and stakeholder perspectives.
• Rights, duties and issues in HRM.
• CIPD viewpoint.
Directed Study – Week 3
1. Watch the pre-recorded lecture on Personality & Perception and
make a note of any questions.
2. Find at least one journal article on models of change
management, research into change management etc. and
summarise the key points.

• Any questions arising from above activities?


• Next week (29th October), each student will give a brief (approx. 5
minutes) summary of the paper/article reviewed. This can be
delivered via PowerPoint slide(s) if you wish - please email a copy
in advance.
• In the folder for Week 4, you will find additional supporting material
and slides on Presentation Skills.
Professionalism and HRM/HRD

• Professionalism – what you do and the principles behind why


you do it, what is acceptable.
• HR professionals play key role in setting standards.
• Link to behaviours and values.
• Also strong link to ethics – HR as ‘the ethical face’ of the
organisation?
The Role of Professional Bodies
• Profession – a job role requiring expertise or skill, and additional training –
quasi-profession?
• A professional association (also called a professional body,
professional organization, or professional society) is usually a non-profit
organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of
individuals engaged in that profession and the public interest.
• The CIPD has a professional standards framework, which places the
principles for better work and working lives at its core. This includes a
strong focus on ethics in professional people management and
development practices.

Think about access to the profession, the professional body, the job role etc.
Can you be an ‘HR professional’ without being a member of the CIPD?
What does ‘ethics’ mean?

• Derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning ‘customs’.


• ‘Ethics is about the good (that is, what values and virtues we
should cultivate) and about the right (that is, what our moral
duties may be).’
(Holmes 1984)

• ‘Ethics are moral principles and values that influence the way a
researcher or group of researchers conducts their research
activities.’ (Ghauri & Gronhaug 2005:21)
How ethical is HRM?

• Personnel = welfare/HRM = business


• HR has aligned itself with the rhetoric and practice of the business
• HR has aligned with employers and argues and the business and
economic case - `added value` is paramount
• Ackers (2001) suggests `Faustian pact` for a strategic place at the
heart of the organisation.
• E.g. EO based on adding value not on ethical or moral qualities

(Hart 1993; Torrington et al 2008)


Ethical issues and HRM

• Do HR professionals have an ethical role?


• What form does it take?
• Do HR professionals have enough influence to impose
ethicacy?
• How do we know that HR professionals are any more
ethical than any others?
• What are some of the ethical issues an HR professional
may have to face in their working week/policy/strategy?
Business needs to maximise it's profits? –
The economic perspective

• Invisible hand approach – advocated by free market


economists – business to pursue its own interests.
• One and only social responsibility of business – to
use its resources and engage in activities designed to
increase its profits.
• So called ‘good values’ are the responsibility of the
Government.
(Milton Friedman 1970)
Stakeholder argument

• Business and HRM should concern itself with ethics


and ethical issues.
• Link to individual and societal well-being (NB and
sustainability argument).
• Makes economic sense
• Ethical businesses will be more successful in the
longer-term. E.g. improved reputation with
customers, improved commitment of employees.
Rights, duties, issues and HRM
Rights & duties Issues
No discrimination Race, gender, age, disability, sexual
Privacy orientation
Due process Surveillance and control
Participation and association Work-life balance
Health, safety and welfare Discipline and grievance
Fair wages Promotion and career progression
Freedom of conscience and speech Trade Unions, participation and
Work involvement
Occupational health, working conditions
Pay, new forms of work, industrial action
Whistle blowing
Access to employment and opportunities
(adapted from Crane and Matten 2007 & Aston Business School 2008)
Do we think ethically when we do our job?
• Legge (1998/2005) – tensions and contradictions of HRM.
• ‘Caring’ element based on welfare image – but includes
elemets of control.
• E.g.: Give employees assistance at work – but to
enhance the contribution to the company?
• ‘Counselling’ but with a view to first stage of disciplinary
process?
Equal Opportunities versus Diversity…
what are the ethical issues?
Equal Opportunities Diversity
• Focus on removing discrimination • Focus on maximising employee
potential
• Seen as an issue for
disadvantaged groups
• Seen as relevant for all ees
• Deals with different needs of
different groups • Integrated

• Seen as driven by HR • An issue involving all managers

• Relies on positive action • Culture change

• Moral and social justice case


• Business case – improve profitability
Summary – CIPD Viewpoint

• HR professionals play a central role in supporting a workplace


culture where the motivation for 'doing the right thing' is because
it's the right thing to do.
• Sometimes, that may mean compromising performance in the
short term. Ethical businesses support that, because of the
benefits in the long term.
• HR professionals are also the main points of contact for all staff
within an organisation and have unique access to staff
throughout their career – from induction training to exit
interviews. They should encourage decision-makers to review
the ethical dimensions of business decisions and support ethical
practice.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/role-hr-factsheet
Further reading:
• Caldwell, C., Truong, D.X., Linh, P.T. & Tuan, L.A. (2011) Strategic Human
Resource Management as Ethical Stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics, 98:
171–182.
• Clark, S. (2015) Ethical decision-making: Eight perspectives on workplace
dilemmas. CIPD Research Report.
• CIPD Factsheet (2017) Business ethics and the role of HR, available from: https://
www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/role-hr-factsheet
• Greenwood, M. (2013) Ethical Analyses of HRM: A Review and Research Agenda.
Journal of Business Ethics, 114: 355–366.
• Greenwood, M. & DeCeiri, H. (2005) Stakeholder theory and the ethics of human
resource management. Department of Management Working Paper, Monash
University.
• Legge, K. (1998 ) Chapter 7: Is HRM Ethical? Can HRM be Ethical? In Parker, M.
(Ed.). Ethics & Organizations. London: Sage. (150-173).
• Pinnington, A., Macklin, R. & Campbell T (Eds.), (2007) Human Resource
Management: Ethics and Employment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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