Human resource Management & Ethical Issues

Role played by HRM

1. Manpower planning 2. Locating & attracting employees with high potential 3. Selection of suitable employees 4. Training & making employees align to jobs 5. Rewarding good performance 6. Carrying out performance evaluation 7. Making the work environment in a company attractive

Managerial Functions of HRM

Recruitment Retention Contracts of Employment Job descriptions Job specifications Staff Welfare Team building Role of functional areas Performance appraisal Grievance procedures Collective bargaining Absenteeism Building workplace culture Motivation & incentives

Learning organizations
Employees learn new things on an on-going basis Apply this learning to improve processes and services Employees share learning with one another Procedures are in place for gaining & sharing knowledge Employees encouraged to think critically Employees allowed to test their assumptions Rewards for learning new skills Encouragement of innovation for development of new products and services Focus on development of every employee

Challenges facing HRM

Globalization of markets, intensification of competition Restructuring cutting extra flab M&As cultural shocks Newer organizational designs Enhanced training needs emphasis on TQM Changing job profiles Changing workforce profile Increasing presence of women in the workforce Increasing IT impacting work delivery Knowledge management use of knowledge in a changing world

Ethical Issues related to HR

Ethical issues arising from the rights & duties between employees & employers Ethical leadership from HR required for observing the law Also for treatment of employees without bias or discrimination HR officials should follow an ethics based system of procedures to address all HR related needs Should foster felt fairness at the level of the individual Employees will not go seeking solutions outside the company if they feel that employers are concerned about their welfare Follow the procedure and rules or come up with individualised solutions?

Discrimination
Age (experienced vs. fresher even with same qualifications) Gender (ladies resign when get married / pregnant / maternity leave) Race from particular caste or community Religion - minorities Disabilities Weight Attractiveness Sexual harassment

Anti-unionism
Bribing union representatives Breaking unions Breaking strikes

Employee privacy
Personal details about religion, political beliefs, health Surveillance through CCTV, phone tapping, going through computer files, internet, email Drugs testing, AIDS testing Whistleblowing What information can be demanded for business purposes, and how this can be obtained

Safety & Health

High speed and noisy machinery High or low temperatures Chemical hazards Construction, drilling, tunnelling, mining Accidents, injuries, illnesses Carpel tunnel syndrome High level of suicides in IT industry High levels of divorce Impotence

Personal appraisal
To be done on measurable basis and objective, not subjective Should not depend on personal likes and dislikes Caste, community or religion

Other Un-ethical practices

Giving & receiving gifts Hiring based on recommendations Giving false reports Alcohol abuse Sexual harassment False expense accounts False sick or casual leave Accepting or paying bribes / kickbacks

Institutional Culture
Values reflected in behaviour TOP LIFE

Requirements for an Ethical Organisation

Top management role models Evolve code of ethics and enforce it Ethics committees to advise on ethical issues Discuss ethical case studies Ethics officers to oversee ethical process Ethical training programmes Disciplinary system to deal with ethical violations