1. Ethical Perspectives in Employment Relations and Human Resources Management
Introduction to Session
Module Overview and Objectives
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2. Ethical Perspectives: Relation to the Frame
HR Transaction Roles & Ethical Perspectives
Fairness of selection and promotion criteria and processes
Discipline and just cause standards
HR Translation Roles & Ethical Perspectives
HR functions regarding drug use or affirmative action
Employee rights of privacy vs. employer needs
Cross-cultural differences’ impact
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3. Ethical Perspectives: Relation to the Frame (cont.)
HR Transition Roles & Ethical Perspectives
Selection of caring supervisors
Use of leave policies responsive to work-family conflicts
Reduction of pay differentials
HR Transformational Roles & Ethical Perspectives
New standards of ethical best practices
Use of employee involvement and team systems
Collaborative and cooperative labor relations
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4. Ethics, Morals & Philosophy
Ethics: a branch of philosophy dealing with “the good”
Morals: individual or culture-bound values that may or may not have foundation in ethics or philosophy
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5. Some Contrasts Between Ethics and Morals
Ethics require scrutiny and careful objective evaluation
Morals can be arbitrary, contradictory or inconsistent
Something can be ethical and moral OR
Something can be ethical and immoral OR
Something can be moral and unethical
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6. Some Contrasts Between Law and Ethics
Something can be ethical and legal
Something can be ethical and illegal
Something can be unethical and legal
Something can be unethical and illegal
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7. Political Correctness and Good Manners
Political correctness includes being sensitive to others and avoiding derogatory language
Some argue that political correctness can be overused, but political correctness can assure ethical behavior
By exercising Good Manners, Etiquette, and Civility, professional and social commerce can be lubricated
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8. Judeo-Christian and Non-Western Traditions
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam emphasize similarities in ethical perspectives relating to work
Global companies must learn differences of business ethics under Asian and African religious and philosophical traditions
Ethical behavior may or may not be consistent,however, with religious teachings
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9. Gender Differences and Ethics
Many ethical traditions historically treated men’s and women’s workplace contributions differently and unequally
Contemporary thinking is moving toward reducing most gender-based workplace differentials
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10. Conflicts at Work Regarding What Is or Is Not Ethical
Workplace conflicts can involve competing core values, perceived inconsistencies between actions and values, or varied perceptions of reality
Inter-group conflicts may occur between
Employees and their employer, OR
Labor union leaders and managers
Intra-group conflicts may occur within groups such as
Union members disagreeing on contract goals OR
Varied management departments’ strategic plans
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11. Strategic Issues in Workplace Ethics
Overview of varied examples where work conflict can occur regarding what is ethical, moral, legal, or good manners
Workplace ethics can involve contrasting rights of individuals, groups (such as of employees), or the employer
Ethics at work can involve contrasts in rights of life and safety, privacy and freedom, and property and pursuit of happiness
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12. Selection and Promotion of Employees and Supervisors
Job description criteria and measurement fairness
Pre-selection of eventual winners
Caring person values and skills
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13. Rights to Collect Information vs. Rights of Privacy
Monitoring for drug and alcohol use
Collecting data on work lives and performance
Screening for dexterity, communication skills, and personality traits
Computer performance monitoring, electronic eavesdropping, and video camera surveillance
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14. Income Differentials Within Workplaces and Society
Compensation and pay structures within the firm
Gender-related pay differentials
CEO compensation in relation to others in the firm; and to minimum wages and living wage ordinances
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15. Punishments, Progressivity, and Just Cause in Discipline Cases
Procedural justice and progressive, corrective discipline systems
Just cause standards in union and non-union settings
Employment-at-will versus wrongful discharge exceptions
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16. Occupational Health and Safety
Worker’s compensation acts and disputed claims
OSHA’s general duty clause
Cost benefit analysis in standard setting and enforcement
Reproductive hazards: health versus non-discrimination
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17. Employee Involvement and Quality of Worklife Enhancement
Varied programs seek to enhance employees’ worklife quality and increase their involvement in decision-making
Ethical conflicts can occur over the sharing of productivity improvements and the impact on employee numbers
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18. Labor--Management Relations
Rights of employees to unionize vs. employer rights to operate union-free
Union rights to collect dues and service fees and limitations to do so under:
Right-to-work state laws and
Employee Beck rights and
Union’s duty of fair representation
Union and employee rights, and limitations, to strike
Collective bargaining processes under:
Traditional labor-management negotiations and
Interest-based (win-win styles of) bargaining
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19. Affirmative Action Programs vs. Seniority and Other Systems
Preferences under Affirmative Action programs
Collective bargaining’s traditional Seniority Principle
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20. Workforce Reductions vs. Job Creation Efforts
Labor-management conflict over workforce redundancies
Causes of plant closings and conflicting ethical claims of stakeholders including employers, employees, and communities
Impact of privatization of public sector workplaces
Various responses to downsizing pressures have included:
Humane downsizing policies
Labor-management-community job creation efforts, and
Employee Stock Ownership Plans
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