Role of Communication in Ethical HR Practice

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IJARSCT

ISSN (Online) 2581-9429

International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT) Volume 6, Issue 1, June 2021

Copyright to IJARSCT DOI: 10.48175/IJARSCT-1353 17 www.ijarsct.co.in

Impact Factor: 4.819

Role of Communication in Ethical HR Practice

Anusriya Mukherjee

Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences Budge Budge Institute of Technology, Budge Budge, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

(Affiliated to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology)

Abstract: At present, we see HR Professionals are tasked with various ethical as well as professional challenges such as inequality in workplace, sexual harassments, setting standards for workplace conducts amongst few. When certain types of scandals threaten the status quo of a company, it becomes the prerogative of the HR to take tough decisions and handle the matter swiftly so that the daily work culture is not affected. Thus, an HR professional can be termed as the “moral police” of a company. But this task is no easy feat. It befalls on a them to master the art of ethical decision making and become a valuable resource by communicating them not only to the employees but for the sake of company as well.

In this study, I aim to point out the major problems that an HR face while taking tough calls on moral decisions and how he/she can overcome their dilemma and overcome the communication barrier that is common in most organizational sectors. My study will mainly focus on the four Ws : What kind of situation may arise that can threaten the moral grounds of decision making, Why such threatening situations may arise , What can be ethically done to overcome such situation and Ways to communicate them to the employees of the organization.

Keywords: Ethical, Sustainability, Human Resource, Decision Making, Moral, Communication

I. INTRODUCTION

Ethics is a set of moral guidelines that we abide by in our general course of life. It is a standard set of moral values which we follow both in our professional and personal life. On the work front, one of the major issues that an Human Resource professional face is their ethical dilemma. Because of the innumerable ethical pitfalls that a company may face on any given day, the challenge that an HR professional face is much greater as it falls on them to handle the company’s reputation and financial sustainability at the same time keeping in line with the ethical rules. Arguably, Human Resource Management can be termed as one of the most important fields in an organization where ethical practices really matter. It is mainly because an HR deals with a number of people related issues like recruitment, selection, compensation, incentives, industrial relations, etc. In today’s organizational sectors, where the reports of corporate scandals are growing by the day, the need for an ethical practice is undeniable and who better than an HR Professional to embed these principled decision makings into daily organizational practices? It falls on an HR professional to be responsible for promoting and fostering fairness and justice for all employees working in the organization. Day by day, the role of an HR Manager has expanded to beyond regular functions.

1.1 What Kind of Situation May Arise that Can Threaten the Moral Grounds of Decision Making?

It is imperative that once in a while an HR may face certain situation which he will deem to be unethical and it may turn challenging for him to stand on moral grounds and make the correct decision. These situations may arise out of several factors.

1. The company unbeknownst to the employees and its manager may practice unethical business deals which are majorly kept secret.

2. The employees may violet the policies and rules of the company 3. The company may try to follow unfair labor practices

4. The upper level management may in general be very biased

5. Employees may turn aggressive towards the upper level management

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The above unethical situations are just to name a few. So the next question which then arises is : A. Why Such Threatening Situations May Arise?

One of the main reason such practices may become predominant in organizations is because of the weaker upper level management and a weak HR. The higher level management may often try to impose certain unethical conditions which are not for the benefit of the employees or even the organization in the long run. This will in turn enrage the employees who will then become demotivated to do their job .In some cases they might even turn aggressive towards the high authority of the organization. Sometimes this might lead to employees following unethical practices within the organization. Also if the company wants to earn more profit within short periods of time , it may start following unfair labor practices like inhumanly extended working hours, child labours, lower rates of wage and salary and so on.

Sometimes the company itself may be formed by the owners as a decoy company and part of it might be used for actual business purpose while a major part might be used for unethical business dealings. The hierarchial chain of management may or may not be aware of these going ons of the company. These situations can mostly happen where there is a weak administrative practice.

B. What Can be Ethically Done to Overcome Such Situation?

While it is illogical to say that HR is the only person who can solve the issue of unethical work practices singlehandedly, it cannot be denied that an he the key factor to help the employees and the company flourish by eliminating the sources of unethical practices. The ethical business contributes to the business goals as the employees will feel motivated and they will work with efficiency and effectiveness. Ethics in HRM basically deals with the affirmative moral obligations of the employer towards employees to maintain equality and equity justice.

C. Ways to Communicate them to the Employees of the Organization.

For a Human Resource Manager, ethics means that he/she treat the employees with enough decency while discharging the responsibility with a sense of justice. Here communication plays a major role. One of the major functions of an HR manager is to communicate and impart the knowledge of ethical values to the employees of the organization. The ways by which an HR can communicate the ethical practices to the employees are as follows:

a) Individual Face to Face Verbal Communication: The easiest and commonly practiced form of communication is face to face interaction. An HR may always sit with employees and interact with them directly what is considered as ethical practices withing the organization sector. This often leads to a clear understanding where the employees understand what sort of behavior is expected from them.

b) Personal Written Communication: This type of communication is practiced by an HR in addition to the face-to-face communication. Often with verbal communication doesn’t do the trick an HR may be required to issue a stern warning to the people within the organization who are polluting the environment with their unethical practices

c) Interacting with the mass at large: Sometimes, it might not be possible for an HR to individually sit with each and every employee, so he may divide the target audience into groups or may even address them all at once.

III.ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN HRPRACTICE

Communication plays a vital role in imparting knowledge of ethical values. While ethical codes are very important, without proper understanding, they cannot exist. Thus, it falls on the HR to make sure that the employees of the organization have a correct understanding of what code of ethics mean and how they are required to uphold it.

It has to be kept in mind that all organizational cultures are equal in nature. Some work cultures are more aligned ethically than others. Also, it cannot be denied that in order to have a solid understanding of a workforce culture, what is considered ethical and what is considered illegal at any given point of time, a close cooperation between communication and an HR will be a win-win situation. A lot depends on the competence of an HR in proper communication. In fact, combining the competences of HR and communications is a critical issue from employees’

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perspective. It is the responsibility of the HR to lay the foundation of ethical practices by establishing a sound personnel policy and practices which are ethical and also at the same time attract competent employees. Inaddition, if the HR has the proper communicative skill to impart these policies to the employees for better understanding, the results will become more impressive.

It cannot be denied that communication plays a very important role in the ethical practices followed by the HR manager as they can influence the organization at many levels because they are in an unique position where they use their influence to build an ethical workplace.

Organizations of all sizes rely on communication in its many forms – be it in-person, or print and media – to help all involved in the workforce have a clear idea to the jobs which they are supposed to do the methods which they are supposed to follow. Thus, HR managers’ role in communicating the ethical conduct within an organisation can help in -

 Nurturing the ethical organisational culture

 To ensure unbiased and ethical recruitment and selection process

 To recruit staff who will most likely set the ethical tone of the organisation.

 Advising the higher-level authority in against unethical practices

IV. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we can see that proper communication will focus on all the ways and scopes which an HR Professional may use to overcome the hurdles of sudden unethical inducements or influxes which threaten not only the reputation and sustainability of the organization but the entire existence of the company itself. An organization will never be able to grow and make a mark on the world map until and unless it has gained the status of being not only the most financially sustainable profit-making organization but also ethically sound. Thus, being the moral police of an organization, the importance of communication of HR Professionals towards this is undeniable.

REFERENCES

[1]. Introductory Chapter : Recent Trends in Communication Networks by Pinaki Mitra

[2]. The Role of Communication in Organizations: Ethical Considerations by John D. Pettit, JR, Bobby Vaught, Kathy J. Pulley

[3]. Creating an Ethical Workplace by Dori Meinert

[4]. Communicating Ethical Values: A Study of Employee Perceptions by Betsy Stevens [5]. Shaping and ethical workplace culture by Steven D. Olson

[6]. HR’s role in Ethics by Fiona Harris