Ethical practice

• Mentorles
• WO
• Studiejaar 2

Ethical Practice

Ethical Practice

Workgroup 2, Team 2

Rick Langenhuijsen: 2032614            Max Gerits: 2062824

Ana Alexandrova: 2061095     

Noa van Nistelrooij: 2056316         

Table of contents

• Learning objectives
• Where are we?
• Ethical Practice: & leadership, definition, vs law, back in time, the basic principles, organizational specifics and examples
• Subcompetencies: personal integrity, professional integrity and ethical agent
• Benefits of Ethical Practice
• Critical notes
• Case question
• Wrap up

Learning objectives

After this seminar you:

• Understand the meaning of Ethical Practice
• Understand the different perspectives on morality
• Understand subcompetencies that make an HR specialist an ethical HR practitioner
• Understand the benefits of Ethical Practice
• Can implement Ethical Practice
• Are able to create an advise about Ethical Practice 

Where are we?

Go to:

https://www.lessonup.com/site/en

-> Fill the code (left bottom) into the Student PIN 

! Do not close your broswer after answering the question

What is Ethical Practice?

Ethical practice & leadership

Definition

“The knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed to maintain high levels of personal and professional integrity, and to act as an ethical agent who promotes core values, integrity and accountability throughout the organization”

 ! There isn’t one single, universal list of ethical principles applicable to all HR professionals

Ethics vs law

Law

• Set of rules and regulations created by the company/country
• Straightforward; no different interpretations

Ethics

• Understanding what is morally right and wrong
• Guidelines and principles

Ethical practice back in time

Utilitarian view on moralitiy 

• The Industrial Revolution
• People are seen as nothing more than a resource

Kantian perspective

• Workers are not just a commoditiy
• Employees should be treated according to some moral standards

The basic principles

Respect= three fundamental ethical rights

1) The right of freedom: 

   Managerial control over employees, job security and a fair wage

2) The right of well-being:

    Individuals can pursue their own interests/goals

    and a safe work environment

3) The right of equality:

    Equity, equal opportunity and justice

Organizational specifics

• Ethical Practice is in all kind of organizations of all types and sizes
• HR professionals are responsible for the implementation
• Ethical Practice affects all aspects of organisational conduct 
• Recruitment of a diverse workforce, ensuring confidentiality, corporate governance, employment practices, sales techniques, stakeholder relations   

Examples of Ethical Practice

Can you think of some unethical practices?

What percentage of workplace misconduct is due to managers' fault?

1. 40%
2. 50%
3. 60%
4. 80%

Subcompetencies

Question

What characteristics makes a HR specialist a person of integrity?

Personal integrity 

 For all HR professionals

• Values
• Accountability for actions
• Recognizes personal biases
• Being a role model

For advanced HR professionals:

• Brings potential conflicts to the attention
• Help employees understand their biases

Question

You are working for a company with employees with numerous backgrounds. Could you think of ways to limit personal biases of yourself/other employees?

Professional integrity 

 For all HR professionals

• Does not take actions based on personal biases.
• Maintains privacy.
• Uses discretion
  
• Knowledge of ethics laws
• Leads investigations in an impartial manner

For advanced HR professionals:

• Withstands politically motivated pressure
  
• Establishes the HR team as a credible and trustworthy resource.
  
• Promotes alignment of HR and business practices with ethics standards
  
•  Applies power or authority appropriately
  
• 
  

Ethical agent

 For all HR professionals

• Empowers
  
• Mitigate the influence of bias
  
• Appropriate levels of transparency
  
• Identifies potential ethical risks.
  
• Ensures understanding of standards and policies.
  
• 
  

For advanced HR professionals:

• Advises senior management
• Collaborates to support internal ethics controls
• Develops HR programs with high standards of ethics and integrity
•  Audits and monitors adherence to HR programs pertaining to ethics

• 
  

Benefits of Ethical Practice

• Higher levels of organizational performance
• Increased job satisfaction
• Organizational commitment and trust
• Organizational citizenship behaviors
• Work meaningfulness
• Eudaimonic (psychological) well-being

Critical notes

Case question

"A junior member of staff has just returned to work after taking special leave to care for her elderly mother. For financial reasons she needs to work full-time. She has been having difficulties with her mother’s home care arrangements, causing her to miss a number of team meetings (which usually take place at the beginning of each day) and to leave work early. She is very competent in her work but her absences are putting pressure on her and her overworked colleagues. The flow of work through the practice is coming under pressure. One of her male colleagues is beginning to make comments such as “a woman’s place is in the home”, and is undermining her at every opportunity, putting her under even greater stress." (ICAEW, 2022)

Her manager asks you as an HR professional to create an advice on how to handle this situation.

Consider:

• Being fair both towards the junior member of staff and towards other members of staff
• Acting in a straightforward manner and professional way
• Owing a duty of confidentiality to the staff involved
• Proceeding in a way that does not discredit yourself, your profession or the firm

Wrap up 

Learning objectives, After this seminar you:

• Understand the meaning of Ethical Practice
• Understand the different perspectives on morality
• Understand subcompetencies that make an HR specialist an ethical HR practitioner
• Understand the benefits of Ethical Practice
• Can implement ethical practice
• Are able to create an advise about Ethical Practice 

Sources part 1

Boscardin, C. K. (2015). Reducing implicit bias through curricular  interventions. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 30(12),                                  1726-1728.

Dovidio, J. F., Kawakami, K., & Gaertner, S. L. (2000). Reducing contemporary prejudice: Combating explicit and implicit bias at                                the individual and intergroup level. Reducing prejudice and discrimination, 137-163.

The SHRM Body of competency and knowledge. (z.d.). The Society for  Human Resource  Management (SHRM). Retrieved at 2                               May 2022, from http://shrmcertification.org/certification/about/body-of-applied-skills-and-                                                                           knowledge/Pages/default.aspx

Deeg, M. D., & May, D. R. (2021). The Benefits to the Human Spirit of Acting Ethically at Work: The Effects of Professional Moral                               Courage on Work Meaningfulness and Life Well-Being. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-                               021-04980-4

Sources part 2

Horner, J. (2003). Morality, ethics, and law: Introductory concepts. In Seminars in Speech and Language (Vol. 24, No. 04, pp. 263-                      274). Copyright© 2003 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. 

Kroon, B. (2020). Evidence based HRM: What (do) we know about people in workplace (pp.251-253)s. Open press TiU.                                              https://digi-courses.com/openpresstiu-evidence-based-hrm/

Journal of Business Ethics, February 2011, Vol. 98, No. 4 (February 2011), pp. 549-571 

Mitroff, I. I. (1998). On the fundamental importance of ethical management: Why management is the most important of all                                      human activities. Journal of Management Inquiry, 7(1), 68-79.

Practice case studies. (n.d.). ICAEW. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.icaew.com/technical/trust-and-                                                               ethics/ethics/case-studies/practice-case-studies

Bonus statement

Ethical Practice is more important than making profit.