ETHICAL AND UNETHICAL PRATISES IN HR

ETHICAL AND UNETHICAL PRACTISES IN HRM:

ETHICS IN HRM:
The role of ethics in hrm is simply the fact that ethics is the chief cornerstone of the entire human resource management practice. it deals with the personal aspects and it touches on many issues that require the application of the ethical standards Some of the areas that demonstrate this include the hiring of employees and issues of promotion discrimination, sexual harassment and privacy, as well as the practice of stated occupational safety and health standards.

  
SOME UNETHICAL PRACTISES IN HR:

Accepting Payoffs:

If a human resources employee accepts payment from job seekers in exchange for preferential treatment in the hiring process, this represents ethical misconduct. Human resources professionals should hire the most qualified individuals without any expectation or solicitation of a financial kickback. Even tangible “thank you” gifts can be misconstrued as an ethical violation and should be avoided.

Discrimination in Hiring:

A human resources employee who discriminates against an otherwise qualified employment candidate on the basis of race, sex, gender or religion is behaving in an unethical manner. This can be especially damaging to you as a small business owner, as claims of discrimination in hiring can be costly to defend. Additionally, claims of bias in hiring can harm the reputation of your business, leading to the potential for lost business and revenue.

Hiring Friends and Family:

While it is not necessary unethical for a human resources manager to refer a qualified family member or friend for an open position in your company, but not disclosing a prior relationship with the applicant has to be ethically inappropriate. Human resources managers should understand that their responsibility should be focused on hiring qualified candidates rather than seeking out job opportunities for people with whom they have personal relationships.

Sharing Personal Information:

Human resources files should be stored in a secure location and made available only when necessary for management review. Sharing personal information found in a personnel file with anyone else inside or outside the company without the express written permission of a supervisor presents an ethical boundary violation. Make sure your human resources employees understand the confidentiality with which personnel files should be handled.

Discrimination in the Workplace:

Discrimination in the workplace covers any work related issues, and it is important for employers to take care that the company handbook, policies, and practices are uniform, regardless of employee race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, or disability. Even a policy that applies to all employees, regardless of these factors may be illegal if it creates a negative impact on the employees. For example, if an employer has a hair style policy that applies to all employees, it may be unlawful if the policy is not job related, and impacts a certain race due to a predisposition of natural hair types.

If an employee is facing such discrimination at workplace, he should carefully record all instance of the discrimination or harassment. This may be done by writing down the date and details of each discriminatory practise, as well as by keeping copies of  emails, text messages, and any physical evidence, which will prove the discrimination.
The employee must report workplace discrimination, in writing, to his employer , keeping a copy of the notice. This will ensure that, even if the problem has to be reported to a higher authority, the employer will not claim ignorance of the situation.

While the state in which the victim is employed may have an agency assigned to investigate discrimination in the workplace, The laws oversees compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Many state employment agencies are able to provide information to both employers and employees, and guide them in reporting workplace discrimination.

Legal Consequences of Discrimination in the Workplace

Workplace discrimination affects everyone involved, both employer and employee. Legal consequences of discrimination in the workplace often takes the form of penalties and fines imposed by governmental agencies tasked with monitoring and preventing such discrimination. In addition to fines that may be quite large, depending on the circumstances, an employer may be subject to civil lawsuits filed by wronged employees.
Such lawsuits necessitate obtaining counsel, which is not inexpensive, and if the employer loses the lawsuit, it will likely be ordered to pay the victim employee’s legal fees as well. Damages for workplace discrimination are generally financial in nature, and may include damages back pay to the employee. Such an employer may also be ordered to reinstate a wrongfully terminated employee.
An employer may face more than legal consequences of discrimination in the workplace, as accusations of discrimination that make it into the public spotlight often lower public opinion of the employer. This often results in decreased sales or patronage.

Examples of Discrimination in the Workplace

Ali Aboubaker Successfully Sues County over Workplace Discrimination
In 2008, Ali Aboubaker, an American citizen who is a practicing Muslim, with four advanced degrees, was fired from his job of 17 years, ostensibly because he refused to start work five minutes before the start of his scheduled shift. Aboubaker filed a lawsuit against his employer, Washtenaw County, claiming he was harassed, discriminated against, and taunted at work based on his religion, and his appearance.
Aboubaker, a native of Tunisia, is an African-American and U.S. citizen. He claimed that the majority of derogatory remarks made to him were about his long beard, which is worn as a symbol of his faith, and that his employer failed to take any action to stop the behavior.

During trial, the County tried to prove that Aboubaker was fired because he had a history of insubordination and poor work performance. Aboubaker’s employer also said that at most, Aboubaker’s complaints have pointed “only to stray, isolated comments and utterances.” The jury believed Aboubaker’s accounts, and ruled in favor of him, awarding him $1.2 million in damages at the end of his two-week trial.

ISSUES TO BE TAKEN CARE OF:

Many examples exist of unethical corporate conduct toward employees or other workers in the supply chain. Many INDIAN. corporations used Third- World sweatshops to produce their goods; some have even been found to use child labor. Every year, lawsuits are filed against employers who are accused of sexual harassment or discrimination against their employees. Some employers have been sued for threatening or firing whistle-blowers, or employees who point out illegal practices or safety violations in the workplace. Some Indian. businesses use undocumented workers because they can pay them less than minimum wage.