Ethical Issues Facing HR

Hello everyone !  In recent times HUMAN RESOURCE has become very important in field of business. So today we will understand What ethical issue do HR face.

Human resource management deals with manpower planning and development related activities in an organization. Arguably it is that branch of management where ethics really matter, since it concerns human issues specially those of compensation, development, industrial relations and health and safety issues. There is however sufficient disagreement from various quarters.

 Equal Opportunity

The HR managers must regularly monitor the company's hiring practices to make sure there is no discrimination in the hiring process based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, religion and disability. However, simply abiding with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines does not guarantee ethical behaviour.

For example, if an HR manager recommends a candidate in order to fill a quota, that decision is unethical, because it will remove other applicants that may be more qualified.

 

Discrimination and Harassment

Human resources professionals must ensure the organization remains compliant with anti-discrimination and harassment laws. Employee discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, gender or religion is an ethical issue human resources personnel face daily. Laws that prohibit discriminatory behavior such as the Civil Rights Act and Americans With Disabilities Act help HR representatives develop training and awareness programs to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace. These laws also establish procedures human resources may use to report and discipline workers who display inappropriate discriminatory behavior.

Safety

Employee safety is an issue facing human resources personnel. The department must prevent and correct potentially dangerous situations. Human resources must promptly act on hazardous conditions that present safety concerns in the workplace. The department is also responsible for identifying potentially dangerous employees and ensuring they do not harm themselves or others within the organization

Labor Costs

HR must cope with conflicting needs to keep labor costs as low as possible and to invite fair wages. Ethics come into action when HR must select between outsourcing labor to countries with lower wages and harsh living conditions and paying competitive wages.

While there is nothing illegal about outsourcing labor, this issue has the potential to build a public relations problem if consumers object to using underpaid workers to save money

 Performance Appraisal

Employee safety is an issue facing human resources personnel. Much of the industrial work is hazardous. This is because of the extensive use of production processes requiring high temperature and an increasing reliance on chemical compounds.

The HR managers are also responsible for identifying the potential dangers and must prevent and correct such dangerous situations.