Current Ethical & Unethical Issues in Human Resource

Human resources professionals are given a great deal of moral, ethical and legal responsibilities. In recruiting, training, reviewing, terminating and working with employees, there are a great deal of ethical ramifications. These positive or negative consequences can have a huge impact on the business at large. In a maze of complicated relationships, business associations, and personnel issues, many in the workplace look to a human resources team for guidance. 

•   Professional Responsibility

Like many other kinds of business people, human resources professionals must contribute to their organization with ethical integrity. Human resources professionals must also comply with the law, make ethical decisions, positively impact their organization and advocate for employees. They are required to commit to a high standard of professional responsibility. They must also, as a function of their profession, be familiar with many types of labor law.

•   Ethical Leadership

Human resources professionals are tasked with being ethical and moral role models. They must be familiar with "right or right" decision-making. They must also know how to be leaders. This is especially important, due to the fact that a poor ethical decision made by an HR person can affect an entire organization. For example, if you were an employee who caught an HR person stealing company office supplies, how would you feel about the company's policies against workplace theft?

•    Fairness and Justice

 Business ethics in particular is constantly changing and evolving. Arguably, most people have a hard time pointing out bad ethics until they see it. HR business people need to be familiar with basic ethics to negotiate decisions made by them or other departments. Social justice is becoming a more and more important topic for corporations and businesses, and human resources professionals need to learn about concepts like affirmative action. HR people should create an atmosphere that appreciates individuals and supports businesses. They should take an active role in eliminating bias and providing equal opportunities.