Ethics at Work: HR Dilemmas, Ethical Culture, and Strategies

This report delves into the critical ethical dilemmas encountered by HR professionals in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of organizational justice and fairness. It explores the principal ethical challenges, such as conflicts in roles and responsibilities, communication gaps, and the impact of organizational changes. The report critically evaluates the role of HRM in fostering an ethical culture, highlighting issues like job insecurity, increased surveillance, deregulation, and declining management integrity. It also underscores the necessity of a culturally sensitive approach to address ethical issues, advocating for the identification and resolution of dilemmas, and the valuing of cultural morals. The report analyzes work situations based on performance levels and ethical considerations, offering strategies for navigating ethical complexities and promoting a just and ethical work environment. The report concludes by reiterating the central role of ethics in employee performance and the pivotal function of the HRM department in ensuring fairness and cultural sensitivity within organizations.

ETHICS AT WORK
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Understanding and critically evaluating few of the principal ethical dilemma encountered by HR
professionals....................................................................................................................................3
Explaining and critically evaluating role of HRM in the perspective of ethics, and contribution
by HR professionals for making ethical culture of organisations....................................................4
Demonstrate the ability to adopt a culturally-sensitive approach to addressing ethical issues in
the workplace...................................................................................................................................6
Appraising ethical dilemmas at workplace and developing appropriate strategies.........................6
Analysing work situations and evaluating alternative courses of action from the perspective of
ethics................................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
Organisational justice significantly refers to perceptions of employees regarding the fairness in
the work environment. The perceptions could be distributive, interactional, informational and
procedural. It shows the relationship between the employees working in an organisation and
trusting their work to be fair and just. It is assumed under the theory of organisational justice that
complete work is done without a bit of shirking in the work and is quite fair on the basis of
putting efforts. The study shows critical understanding about elaborating principal dilemmas
relating to the HR professionals at the workplace. It also displays the role played by HRM of any
organisation while managing ethical standards or concerns.
Understanding and critically evaluating few of the principal ethical dilemma encountered
by HR professionals
According to the observations of Linehan and O’Brien (2016, p.14), ethics concerning
management practices in an organisation include integrity and honesty, discipline Unity interest
to work giving positive attitude maintaining proper behaviour and conduct with others and even
communicating freely with the colleagues. Few areas of ethical dilemmas that could be classified
are categorised under the management till department of any organisation include- conflict in
understanding different roles and responsibilities organisational change and behaviour of leaders
the other areas where are the customers my tires Institute of accuracy in reporting personal
choices of manager and communication gaps.
As suggested by Lindebaum et al. (2016, p.11), amongst the principal areas encompassing
ethical dilemmas in any organisation the most happening one is ought to be arising of conflicts in
understanding roles of each other. This could be illustrated with the help of suitable example that
might happen in any workplace. For example, if an individual is operating as a trained and
efficient internal coach at the top of the HR manager of the company who is one of the most
eminent managers company can have. During the training, the manager had worked hard for
improving relationships with the team members of his or her respective team. Being a manager,
it is one's duty and responsibility to look after the needs and wants organises amount the team
and the team members as well and hence The teams had been encouraged by the manager to
provide far more constructive as well as honest feedback this has been done in order to receive
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clearer approach of improvement for development in one's work one of the team members took a
grievance against the manager for which the manager had replied by email asking for immense
support at the very next training class.
As asserted by Falkenström et al. (2016, p.30), in such a scenario, the most important ethical
consideration must be regarding the communication gap. Due to the existence of communication
gap, it had been difficult to convey the feelings and thoughts regarding the training classes. As
suggested by Scott (2016, p.220), either of the two parties had taken into account the importance
of communicating with each other at the training sessions which had resulted in the creation of a
persistent misunderstanding.
Considering to the changes in organisation might lead to example that illustrates a medical
dilemma arise in that situation. Suppose, being an HR strategic partner of business for
sufficiently large company of manufacturing that leads to cut down and reduce the size of the
company at the face of immense and fierce competition from outside markets. As soon as the
strategic partner joins the leadership planning as a team, it seems that the decisions would be
made on the financial grounds which is completely not his or her forte and yet is asked to do
such analysis. In that situation, as supposed by Bina et al. (2016, p.336), one must hold positive
attitude towards work and do not lose confidence and integrating with the team members through
which proper knowledge about the market as well as the market interactions of demand and
supply of the products manufactured by the company is well known as well versed by the HR
manager.
Hence, as supported by Russ-Eft (2016, p.530), the principal ethical issues that could be faced by
HR professionals at the workplace in an organisation includes performance appraisal and honesty
as well as integrity at the workplace.
Explaining and critically evaluating role of HRM in the perspective of ethics, and
contribution by HR professionals for making ethical culture of organisations.
Management ideology along with traditional management style has undergone huge and message
changes across from world. As supported by Teaster and Sokan (2016, p.650), in the recent
generation new organisation formed as well as new ways of managing involving emergence of
highly sensitive patterns of voting has eminently come into force. As indicated by Iordanou et al.
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(2016, p.45), during this modern era, HRM has strategically become more focused as well as
concerned in the areas of facilitating achievement of far reaching organisation goals.
Highlighting range of multiple ethical concerns circumferential standards under age of actresses
which arise from strategic focus of achieving a person in the goals of an organisation would
include-
Increase in job insecurity-
As suggested by Calder (2016, p.87), under this concern of ethics it could be clearly observed
that is arises from the flexible practices off work and includes short term as well as temporary
conditions of employment in the organisation for unemployed for employees working under it.
As supported by Pathardikar et al. (2016, p.120), this particular ethical consideration includes
fear of losing jobs that results from outsourcing as well as of sowing of services and increase in
external as well as internal stress boosters.
Increasing control and surveillance-
As observed by Pillay and Ross (2016, p.270), evere and sincere increases in the areas of
surveillance and controls in an organisation deliberately includes the fact of using psychometric
tests and electronic surveillance of working patterns through the application as well as
installation of ICT software packages. As justified by Bhola and Raguram (2016, p.15), ICTs
would certainly help watching patterns as well as observes strictly the performance and the
activities of each of employees working for the organisation. as supported by Valentine et al.
(2016, p.15), this ethical consideration is important to improve the performance of the
organisation as a whole giving the more credits to the employee putting high effort.
Deregulation-
As suggested by Hughes and Gosney (2016, p.34), this particular ethical consideration would
certainly state about some facts regarding the market place being regulated by global regulators
like WTO which has imminently led to the impatient handling of workers or the employees in
the organisation. As indicated by Reamer and Nimmagadda (2017, p.190), this might lead to
charge compromisation from HR managers regarding ‘good’ practice relating to business needs.
Hence, HR practices are severely hampered through the deregulation of the market forces.
Decline in integrity of Management-
As mentioned by Romious et al. (2016, p.190), this ultimately leads to higher accusations about
recording to deceit as well as rhetoric among the HR professionals. Recent emphasis over
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management of organisational culture as well as commitment to employees could be contrasted
with an approach being highly instrumental towards supervision of employment contract. As
discussed by Mendes et al. (2016, p.400), integrity is to be considered as one of the major factors
as regarded to ethical concerns.
Demonstrate the ability to adopt a culturally-sensitive approach to addressing ethical issues
in the workplace
It is essential to adopt such ability for adopting a culturally-sensitive approach while working in
an organisation. According to the observations of Heyler et al. (2016, p.800), having extensive
knowledge about the culture, ethnicity, race and religion is essential for maintaining proper
conduct and behaviour. In order to identify the ethical issues in an organisation, demonstrating a
culturally-sensitive approach is quite impactful. Identifying cultural facts and issues while being
employed under a renowned organisation portrays one’s behaviour and conduct as matched by
the trends.
Anti-discriminatory practices are strictly prohibited in the work environment which adds valuing
of ethical issues and considerations in the management operations and functioning of the
organisation. In the words of Lindebaum et al. (2016, p.10), illustrating several approaches
regarding identification of ethical behaviour and working patterns would certainly describe the
performance of the organisation.
Appraising ethical dilemmas at workplace and developing appropriate strategies
Appropriate strategies that could elaborately appraise ethical dilemmas include-
Identification of dilemmas
In order to overcome the issues of dilemma, one must identify the issues related to the origin of
dilemma that has been encountered in the organisation. As per the words of Teaster and Sokan
(2016, p.645), this has to be done in order to ensure reduction of mental stress, loss of confidence
and trust among the employees working in an organisation.
Resolving issues
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The next step to overcome the arising of ethical issues or dilemmas would be behind resolving
conflicts. This would ensure the communication frequency and feeling free among the
individuals working together as a team. In the opinions of Pathardikar et al. (2016, p.105),
organisational justice would then only be ensured if conflicts of ethical issues are resolved.
Valuing cultures and morales
In order to sow the seed among individuals to reap proper ethical way and conduct, it is
important to learn about importance of morals and values. As per the observations of Bhola and
Raguram (2016, p.14), certain knowledge about possessing morale and values would be counted
as an essential content to overcome dilemma.
Analysing work situations and evaluating alternative courses of action from the perspective
of ethics
Work situations could be categorised on the basis of the strength of the working performance-
high, medium and low. Under high work situations, the courses of action are frequent and higher
importance of ethical values is justified. High work situations definitely illustrate high effort
along with higher consumption of time. As per the suggestions of Russ-Eft (2016, p.521),
medium work situations pertain to relatively lower efforts that is adjustable with higher values of
ethics with medium courses of action. Low work situations could be evaluated through lower
courses of actions and low working efforts and consumption of time.
Conclusion
Through the above study about ethical considerations as well as applications at a workplace, it
could be clearly deduced that behind every just performance of the employees, ethics play a
massive role. In this context, HRM department of any organisation equivalently possesses a
pivotal role. In order to ensure fair and just working in the organisation, a culturally-sensitive
approach for addressing issue related to ethics have been found to be predominant. Few ethical
dilemmas that could be ejected out of the management operations in any organisation are
eventually enlisted in the study. Work situations are analysed as well as evaluated in the context
of ethics in the organisations.
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