One topic no professional wants to think about is questionable integrity or ethical issues in their profession. Unfortunately, all too often there is someone somewhere who tarnishes the reputation of the whole group and can give the profession a bad name. Ethics and integrity are important in all professions, but there are some, such as management and Human Resources positions, that are expected to maintain a higher standard of ethical behavior.
Human Resources has an important role in a company; they must be the conscience of management to ensure that all actions taken are fair and within the restrictions of the law. HR professionals must be objective and balance the needs of employees and management, and ultimately HR must do what is best for the company. Let’s be honest; it doesn’t always work that way. HR professionals are, of course, human, which means they have their own agendas and needs and that can make things complicated. Second, HR reports back to management, and if that arrangement isn’t set up right, it can lead to problems. If an HR professional isn’t prepared to stand up for what’s right, not only does the employee lose, but the company stands to lose as well.
Important components of maintaining integrity in HR begin with treating employees with respect, and while that sounds like a no-brainer, unfortunately there are many instances where that doesn’t happen. Of course, when employees are not treated with respect, HR is no longer trusted and becomes something of a joke within a company. This can also happen when RR. H H. he only speaks lip service, which can be just as damaging; when HR says she’ll follow up on something and doesn’t, or says one thing and does another, or worst of all, lies flat out.
Being an employee advocate isn’t always easy, especially when HR has to challenge or even disagree with the very management they report to. This is where the integrity of human resources can be tested. If the HR professional at least tries to do the right thing, which may mean taking his case as high up in the organization as necessary, then he can hold his head high in the knowledge that he upheld high ethical standards. However, if they take the path of least resistance and give up after pleading the employee’s case and getting a negative response, they may delude themselves into thinking that they are doing their job, but in reality they are not. This is not to say that every situation an employee presents to Human Resources should be agreed upon and fought for, but if the employee was not treated within policy and law, it is Human Resources’ obligation to correct that injustice.
HR has an obligation to conduct investigations impartially, ensuring that they do not allow their own biases to influence the results. It is also important that whoever conducts the investigation does not have a reporting relationship with those involved. If someone feels that they cannot be impartial, they should withdraw from the investigation, that is the only way to guarantee fair results in the investigation.
People who work in Human Resources must remember that the decisions they make and the actions they take can affect people’s lives and should not be taken lightly. Sometimes they are the only ones who can offer an objective point of view and if they take that responsibility seriously, everyone benefits.
