Ethical Practice Briefing Paper: Ethical Principles and HR Practices

This report, a briefing paper on ethical practices in Human Resources, begins with an introduction to ethical principles and professional values, emphasizing their significance in guiding individual and organizational conduct. It then identifies key codes of practice that support ethical and professional behavior within HR, such as maintaining confidentiality and ensuring fairness. The report explains the importance of ethical conduct, detailing the positive outcomes of ethical behavior like increased employee performance and loyalty, while also outlining the personal and professional consequences of unethical actions, such as damaged reputations and decreased productivity. Finally, the paper describes how HR professionals can demonstrate a positive and ethical approach through clarifying issues, contributing opinions, working in teams, showing sensitivity, and respecting colleagues, providing practical examples to illustrate these points. The report concludes by summarizing the key aspects of ethical practice in HR and emphasizing its importance in achieving organizational success.

Task One Ethical Practice
Briefing Paper

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK ONE......................................................................................................................................3
Explaining the meaning of the ethical principles and professional values..................................3
Identifying Code of Practice that supports ethical and professional practice..............................3
Explaining importance of ethical and potential consequences of unethical behaviour...............4
Describing how HR professional will demonstrate positive and ethical approach.....................5
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Ethical practices refers to values that guides and individual and organizational behaviour
to carry out the predefined task. Also, the present report will highlight some moral and ethical
values that are required to be performed by HR professional and will also identify appropriate
code of practices that helps in achieving certain goals in timely manner
TASK ONE
Explaining the meaning of the ethical principles and professional values
Ethical principles refers to morale values that are been performed by individual or group
of people that are not based on view points of others. For instance: Helping the employee
through providing emotional support during the tough and challenging personal times other hand
professional values are set of guiding principles that influences the work behaviour at any
organization. Thus, it can be said that while working in any firm it is required that certain
professional values like honesty, reliability, adaptability, self motivation etc. are been known in
advance so that work could be carried out in smooth manner. Furthermore, it allows succeeding
in any profession through knowing all the basic needs. Also, developing such kind of values
helps in the delivering the high quality work and up to set standard in acceptable manner.
Furthermore, it helps in developing the mindset that allows in keeping watch over set of actions
that further impacts the professional success and fulfilment of objectives in the future in positive
manner. Moreover, it is known that personal values of any person affects the professional
judgement and it is based on that particular attitude is formed(Guerrero-Dib, Portales and
Heredia-Escorza, 2020). Also, in current times it is very important to show professionalism at the
workplace through managing the time, demonstrating integrity, providing excellence in very
work etc. so that it results in better outcomes in end. For instance: Completing all the
assignments provided by the superiors on time with the least mistakes and authenticity. Also, the
work should be free of errors and mistakes Furthermore, these values inform the people through
allowing them to make those decisions that do not create negative influence on other in due
course of time. Also, moral values present in any HR person helps them to maintain the cultural
competences that ensures that all employees are able to work in collaborative and in mutual
understanding way so that chances of conflicts are minimum.

Identifying Code of Practice that supports ethical and professional practice
There are various code of practices that are been followed while carrying out various
tasks at the workplace and these code of practices helps in ensuring all the employees that rules
and regulations are followed in systematic manner. Furthermore, in context of HR professional it
can be said that these people are responsible for adding value to the organization and hence they
conduct activities that increases the value of the firm and build respect among one another. Also,
one of the best code of practice is maintaining the confidentiality where all the document of the
workplace need not be shared with any other party that is outside organization and it needs to be
kept in protected manner. Also, such code of practice helps in keeping aside the sensitive
business information so that better decisions are made in the future. For instance : HR
professionals need to follow this code of practice where no additional business information is
been provided to the outsiders apart from the one that needed to be shared. Also, other code of
practices that are usually followed are complying with the law, exhibiting the ethical leadership
and ensuring fairness and justice in all the working so that employee remains motivated to
perform certain tasks at the workplace (Ethical Workplace Culture: 6 Simple Ways to Create and
Maintain , 2022). For example: HR professionals would ensure fairness through creating best
hiring opportunities for all the diverse candidates and not discriminating on the basis of the age,
gender, religion etc. Thus, through all these code of practices the working of the firm is done in
right manner. Moreover, in context of legislation the health and safety, equality and diversity
within the workplace should also be considered in well-defined manner. Also, code of practice
the CIPD professional code of conduct will be followed to ensure the right practices within the
workplace.
Explaining importance of ethical and potential consequences of unethical behaviour
Ethical behaviour is one that is known through honesty, fairness and much more among the
group of people. Also, it refers to application of moral principles at any given situation so that
positive outcomes are derived. Moreover, experience HR professionals working with ethical
behaviour results in increased employee performance among the employees, create more job
satisfaction to larger extent (Nair and Sivakumar, 2018). Thus, it can be said ethical behaviour
always results in positive consequences of working resulting in greater trust and loyalty among the
employees. Furthermore, the personal and potential consequences of unethical behaviour are the
as follows:

Personal: It can be said that adopting unethical behaviour damages the personal reputation
of any HR professional among people and would also impact the productivity in negative manner.
Also, this type of behaviour could result in significant financial losses in terms of losing the job
and bad personal relations with others (Ng and Sears, 2020). Moreover, HR unethical behaviour
on the personal level might only create conflicts and individual might also loose trust from others.
Professional: In this context it can be said that HR unethical behaviour would create
negative impact in terms of high turnover at the workplace and greater employee absenteeism.
Also, it will create disruptive employee relations that will further create problems while making
people follow certain rules on the job. Furthermore, HR professionals if keep such practices in long
run than it would create the feeling of helplessness and higher level of anxiety that would make the
situation worse (Haldorai and et.al., 2020). Also, HR professionals might lose creditability that
would further make its decision-making power ineffective among the employee working at
different levels within the workplace. Moreover, all this could be better linked with two-way
communication's model that states both parties could be engaged in the best manner through
exchanging the information in timely manner thus ensuring best practice
Describing how HR professional will demonstrate positive and ethical approach
HR professionals are responsible for demonstrating true and ethical behaviour in all phases
of working so that greater responsibilities might be fulfilled in best of manner (Turyakira, 2018).
Furthermore, those HR professionals that demonstrate good ethical behaviour tends to retain the
best employees for long period and also able to manage the staff in increasing the workplace
productivity.
Clarifying problems or issues: Through building up the trust among the employees and taken
accountability for the future action so that employee is able to communicate the problems
effectively. Also, becoming the role model and suggesting the best ways to overcome the current
problems through keeping in mind the company laws that are been followed.
Contributing views and opinions: Integrating core value on daily basis and creating the open and
safe communication for employees at the workplace (Jhamb and Carlson, 2020). Also,
brainstorming list of potential solutions that are based on the company current policies and
organization structure and ensuring that decisions does not hurt or create negative impact in any
sense. For instance : I have personally called the group of employees over some important

business discussion so that they feel more engaged and feel free to express their views. Thus, this
has enabled me in building strong networks within the workplace.
Working in a team: Through bringing case studies and real life examples so that more effective
and ethical decision might be made on the workplace. Also, through rewarding the employees that
have performed extraordinary well while delivering any kind of project.
Showing sensitivity to others: By making people aware of expected ethical values and the best
practices and communicating the same on timely basis so at difficult times the best support and
guidance could be provided (Peters and Giacumo, 2020). For instance: Establishing trustful
communications and providing the justice through evidences to the friend that is wrongly pointed
out for the things that is not done by him in previous times.
Showing respect for colleagues: There are various people that are working together in the firm
and its important for establishing the ethical practices fair treatment is been given to all employees
irrespective of their level within the firm. For instance: The time of selection of the employees for
any particular role than the employees with higher competencies would be selected first rather than
the one that is having more power within the firm
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that human resource department is most
significant and crucial as it helps in making people work in best of manner. Furthermore,
significance of ethical practices and behaviour among HR professionals in achieving greater
height of success had also been explained in this report.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L. and Heredia-Escorza, Y., 2020. Impact of academic integrity on
workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal for Educational Integrity. 16(1). pp.1-
18.
Haldorai, K. and et.al., 2020. Workplace spirituality as a mediator between ethical climate and
workplace deviant behavior. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 86.
p.102372.
Jhamb, S. and Carlson, K. W., 2020. Managing Workplace Ethical Dilemmas, Perceptual Ethical
Leadership, Accountability, and Management Outcomes: A Critical Review and Future
Directions. Journal of Applied Business & Economics. 22(9).
Nair, R. S. and Sivakumar, V., 2018. Investigating the impact of workplace spirituality on ethical
climate. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior. 17(3). pp.7-27.
Ng, E. S. and Sears, G. J., 2020. Walking the talk on diversity: CEO beliefs, moral values, and
the implementation of workplace diversity practices. Journal of Business Ethics. 164(3).
pp.437-450.
Peters, D. J. T. and Giacumo, L. A., 2020. Ethical and responsible cross‐cultural interviewing:
Theory to practice guidance for human performance and workplace learning
professionals. Performance Improvement. 59(1). pp.26-34.
Turyakira, P. K., 2018. Ethical practices of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing
countries: Literature analysis. South African Journal of Economic and Management
Sciences. 21(1). pp.1-7.
Online
Ethical Workplace Culture: 6 Simple Ways to Create and Maintain . 2022. [Online]. Available
through:<https://emtrain.com/blog/workplace-culture/ethical-workplace-culture/>.
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