Overview of Ethics in Human Resources Management
In the competitive world, employees are not looking for jobs. They are looking for an ethical organisation to work. Therefore, all the HR professionals uphold ethical values in an organisation, they enhance trust and fairness between management and staff and reduce conflicts, legal risk and promote employee well-being. According to Dessler (2023), ethics and fairness are essential elements of effective HRM. Examples of unethical HR practices that can damage a company's reputation and employee trust, favouritism, discrimination, and disrespect. Therefore, all HR-related activities within the organisation, such as hiring, compensation, performance reviews, and employee relations, should be based on ethics.
In Sri Lanka, Most of the organisations are moving towards ethical HRM and creating great change in the organisations. Furthermore, Ethical HRM practice is increasing in private organisations due to Sri Lankan labour law. They start global business HRM practices and focus on corporate social responsibility. The majority of Sri Lankan organisations, such as John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata, are reputed for their ethical HR policies and transparent employee engagement strategies. Fernando and Bandara (2022), illustrated in terms of main values of ethical HRM, such as fairness, transparency and respect, play an important role in enhancing employee commitment and trust in Sri Lankan organisations. Enhancing employees' engagement and rewarding individuals' effort are core aspects of building the sustainability of the organisations.
Conclusion:
HRM ethics is not an option to adopt, but the foundation of a successful and healthy organization. Ethical HRM fits well with Soft HRM because treating employees with respect and care and it focuses on employee's well-being, growth, and dignity not just on what they produce for the organisation (Beer et al., 1984). Ethical HRM establishes a culture of fairness and transparency with the principles of Organisational Justice Theory and ensure employees feel they are treated equitably in organisational decisions and processes (Greenberg, 1987). HR professionals in international and domestic firms must adapt their ethical model to address new issues such as data privacy, telecommuting. According to the Psychological Contract Theory, an ethical HRM function is not just focused on compliance, but it also establishes a human-oriented workplace with mutual respect and trust as part of the daily work (Rousseau, 1995).
References:
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2023) Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 17th edn. London: Kogan Page.
Armstrong, M. (2017) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 14th edn. London: Kogan Page. Henderson, I. (2017) Human Resource Management for MBA and Business Masters. London: CIPD.Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2021) Strategy and Human Resource Management. 5th edn. London: Red Globe Press.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2022) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. 8th edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
CIPD (2023) Ethics in HR and People Practice. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Dessler, G. (2023) Human Resource Management. 17th edn. Harlow: Pearson.
Fernando, M. and Bandara, C. (2022) 'Ethical HR Practices and Employee Commitment in Sri Lankan Organisations', Journal of Business Studies, University of Colombo. Beer, M., Spector, B., Lawrence, P.R., Mills, D.Q. and Walton, R.E. (1984) Managing Human Assets. Greenberg, J. (1987) ‘A taxonomy of organisational justice theories’, Academy of Management Review, 12(1), pp. 9–22. Rousseau, D.M. (1995) Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Interesting article, Viraj. You clearly link HR ethics with fairness, trust and transparency, showing it as both a legal and cultural responsibility. As Armstrong emphasizes, moral behavior fosters sustainability over the long run. Strong relevance is added to your article by the example set out in Sri Lankan context. Great work!
ReplyDeleteDilrukshi, Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I appreciate that you have observed the key elements of this article and the references that I have included. Indeed, as you have highlighted, Armstrong (2023) notes that emphasising ethical behaviour cultivates trust and sustainability within the HRM practice.
DeleteThis article describes the importance of ethics within Human Resource Management (HRM) and the frameworks within which HRM operates in creating an environment that is equitable, open, and dignified. The emphasis placed on fairness, trust, and responsibility within the article highlights the accountability that is fundamental to the HR cycle, spanning recruitment and resource allocation to performance appraisal. The application of ethics in HRM is illustrated through the engagement practices of John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata in Sri Lanka, which not only sustains employee engagement but also encompasses the ethical HRM dimensions of organizational sustainability.
ReplyDeleteIt is also of great importance that the article articulates ethical HRM as a primary building block of an organization’s success, in that it recognizes the need to work through ethical challenges of contemporary issues such as data protection and remote working. The discussion in the article makes it clear that ethics in HRM extends beyond compliance to the creation of a human-centered organization where trust and mutual respect are the foundations around which the organizational day is built.
Dilshan, thank you for the insightful comment. I agree with your recognition of how ethics in HRM ensures trust, fairness and accountability within the organisation. The example of John Keels and Dialog Axiata clearly demonstrates how ethical practice enhances both employee engagement and organisational sustainability in the Sri Lankan context. I also agree with your point that ethical HRM goes beyond compliance, addressing modern challenges such as data protection and remote working, while fostering an employee friendly culture built on trust and respect.
DeleteThis is a well written article on the imortance of ethics in HRM. It clearly highlights how ethical practices go beyond just following rules. The examples like John Keels Holdings and Dialog Axiata show how companies are embracing these values , which is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteLuckmee, Thank you for the encouraging feedback. You have thoroughly understood that ethical practice plays a major role in the organisation.
DeleteIt is absolutely correct that in today's competitive world, job seekers prioritize ethical organizations. The examples of John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata provide excellent local context for ethical practices in Sri Lanka. Well done!
ReplyDeleteSarika, thank you for your valuable comment. I am glad that you have identified the examples of John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata. These companies actually show how ethical practices can strengthen trust and attract talent in the workplace culture.
DeleteThis is an excellent article. You have discussed about the importance of ethics in any organizational culture, and how ethics shape up the individual perspectives and behavioral changes. And also, you have discussed about how to link HR practices and ethics in any organization with consideration of management and conflict resolution within the organization. Furthermore, you have discussed some examples who adopt the ethical principles to their HR policies, and how it shapes the organization at large. I suggest you to include something about how an organization adopt different ethics principles from various professional bodies, and how impact it to HR practices.
ReplyDeleteDilrangi, thank you for the thoughtful comment. I appreciate your observation on the article and how you have identified the importance of the ethical practices in an organisation.
DeleteI agree that adding how organisations adopt different ethics from various protectional bodies to make the article stronger. I will surely add that in my next articles.
The significance of ethics in human resource management (HRM) is succinctly and clearly summarized in this article, which also highlights important concepts like justice, openness, and respect as the cornerstones of organizational success. Its practical relevance is strengthened by its use of reliable academic sources (Dessler, 2023; Armstrong & Taylor, 2023) and contextualization of the discussion through references to moral HR practices in Sri Lankan companies such as Dialog Axiata and John Keells Holdings. Though it does a good job of explaining why ethics are important, it could have done more to critically examine how HR professionals can deal with moral conundrums like data privacy and working remotely in the digital age (CIPD, 2023).
ReplyDeleteThe article would also benefit from addressing the difficulties that organizations encounter when putting ethical HRM into practice, particularly when attempting to strike a balance between moral obligations and business objectives. Though it could be strengthened with more critical and comparative insights, overall, it is an insightful and pertinent article that emphasizes ethics as the foundation of sustainable HRM.
Sashini, I appreciate your thoughtful feedback. I am pleased that you understood and recognised the values of the article and the key elements such as justice, openness, and respect in ethical HRM. Your suggestion to highlight the ethical issues, like remote working and data privacy, is more useful. Also, I appreciate that you made a valid point about the difficulty that organisations face when they are trying to balance the ethical values with business goals. I am doing a separate article on these discussions to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of how to balance the ethical issues and challenges while practising HRM ethics in the organisation.
DeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree, ethics truly form the foundation of a strong and trustworthy HR function.
ReplyDeleteAsanka, I appreciate your comment on my blog, and you have understood the values of the Ethical HRM.
DeleteThis essay provides a clear and well-structured discussion on the importance of ethics in Human Resource Management (HRM). It effectively highlights how ethical practices go beyond policy compliance to shape a positive organisational culture based on trust, respect, and fairness. The integration of both global and Sri Lankan perspectives strengthens the analysis, especially the references to organisations such as John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata. The conclusion successfully reinforces the idea that ethical HRM is a strategic necessity rather than a choice. Overall, the content is comprehensive, well-supported with current academic references, and demonstrates a strong understanding of ethical HR principles in contemporary business contexts.
ReplyDeleteMahesh, Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. I am glad that you appreciated the structure of the discussion and understood that the ethical principles are beyond the need for compliance and create a good culture within the organisation based on trust, respect and transparency. I thank you for noticing the combination of the international and Sri Lankan environment, as it is important to find out how ethical HRM principles are being applied in various contexts. I agree that the ethics of HRM need to be a strategic requirement rather than an optional practice. Your encouraging words are motivating me to further enhance the link between theory and practice in my future assignments.
DeleteThis post is well-written and shows that you put a lot of thought into it. You have made it very clear that ethical HRM is not just about following the rules, it is also about building trust, fairness, and long-term success. I think that HR ethics are a good foundation for any business. What do you think about the future of digital transformation and how it might affect ethical HRM practices like using AI to hire people or keeping an eye on remote workers?
ReplyDeleteShashi, I appreciate your valuable comment, and I agree that ethical HRM is about trust and fairness, not just rules, and you have identified it correctly. With digital transformation, HR should focus on technology like AI for hiring, but only if it’s transparent and unbiased; otherwise, it will be challenging. These tools should support people, not control them. Also, monitoring remote workers should protect privacy and dignity. The future of ethical HRM depends on balancing technology with human values.
DeleteThis article presents a clear and insightful overview of ethics in human resource management, emphasizing fairness, transparency, and respect as core values. It effectively links global HRM principles with Sri Lankan organization practices, showing strong analytical and contextual understanding. Well-written and academically grounded, it reflects excellent comprehension and professionalism.
ReplyDeleteIndika, I appreciate your valuable comment. You have recognised the key values of ethics in HRM, such as fairness, transparency, and respect. I appreciate, you have noticed the examples which explain the connection between global HRM principles and Sri Lankan practices. Your encouraging words motivate me to keep exploring and write more about ethical practice in HRM.
DeleteThis article offers a concise overview of how ethics are fundamental to effective HRM, emphasizing fairness, transparency, and trust as pillars of a positive workplace culture. The examples from Sri Lankan companies like John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata add valuable local context. It’s clear that ethical HRM is not just about compliance but about building sustainable organizations where employees feel respected and engaged. A well-rounded and insightful read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate your recognition of how ethics connect directly to fairness and trust in HRM. I am glad that the Sri Lankan examples help you to understand how you apply ethical principles in real practice. Ethical HR truly goes beyond compliance, it shows how employees feel and perform.
DeleteDear Viraj,Your overview does a great achievement of showing how ethics in Human Resource Management shapes the heart of an organization. I really appriciate how you clearly shows that ethical HR practices like fairness, respect, and transparency aren’t just rules, but ways to build trust and a sense of belonging for employees. The Sri Lankan examples, such as John Keells Holdings and Dialog Axiata, make it feel real and relatable. I also like how you connect ethics to today’s challenges like data privacy and remote work. Overall, your piece reminds us that ethical HRM is about creating a workplace where people feel valued, safe, and respected every day.
ReplyDeleteDanushka, I truly appreciate your comment. It's nice to hear that the examples and the emphasis on fairness, respect, and transparency connected with you. You have correctly mentioned that ethics is not just a policy but also upholding a good working culture. Your understanding highlights the importance of creating workplaces where people genuinely feel valued and respected. Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback.
DeleteStrong overview of ethical HRM's role in building trust and fairness. The Sri Lankan examples from John Keells and Dialog Axiata add valuable local context. You're right that ethics extend beyond compliance to shape sustainable, human-centered workplaces.
ReplyDeleteLivan, thank you so much for your valuable feedback. I’m glad your focus on trust, fairness, and ethical HRM came through clearly. I am happy to hear that Sri Lankan examples of John Keells and Dialog Axiata helped you to understand the ethical practice in the local context. You captured it well that ethical HR goes beyond compliance and plays a key role in shaping sustainable, people-centred workplaces. I truly appreciate your comment.
DeleteDear Viraj, this is a well-structured blog post aligns with the caption. It is clearly highlighted on ethical practices going beyond compliance and directly contribute to trust, fairness and a healthy organisational culture. Appreciates the connection you made between ethical HRM and key theories such as Organisational Justice and the Psychological Contract. This strengthens the argument that ethics is foundational, not optional. The given examples from Sri Lankan organisations, helps to show the practical shift toward ethical HR practices in the local context and they demonstrate how transparency and fairness can enhance employee commitment. The emphasis on HR professionals adapting to modern challenges like data privacy and remote work is also very relevant.
ReplyDeleteSaliya, thank you for your comment. I am happy to see you found the post well-structured and matched to the topic. Your focus on ethical practices going beyond compliance was correct. I appreciate your recognition of the theory of Organisational Justice and the Psychological Contract. Your observation on Sri Lankan examples is correct, and it shows the importance of moving into ethical HR practices. I agree with your comment that transparency and fairness enhance employee commitment. I agree with your point that HR professionals adapting to data privacy and remote work is important.
DeleteA well-stated reminder that ethical HRM is the backbone of a healthy organisation. When fairness, transparency, and genuine care guide people practices, employees build trust and feel valued. Linking these ideas to organisational justice and the psychological contract highlights how ethics must evolve with modern challenges like data privacy and remote work. This is exactly the direction HR needs to move to create workplaces grounded in respect and long-term commitment.
ReplyDelete