14

Ethics, Employee
Relations, and Fair
Treatment at Work

Human Resource Management

14th Edition, Global Edition

4-1414

Gary Dessler

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-1

Learning Objectives
1. Explain what is meant by ethical behavior
at work.
2. Discuss important factors that shape
ethical behavior at work.
3. Describe at least four specific ways in
4-1414 can influence
which HR management
ethical behavior at work.
4. Employ fair disciplinary practices.
5. Explain what is meant by employee
relations and what employers can do to
improve it.
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-2

Explain what is meant by

4-1414
ethical behavior
at work.

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-3

Basics of Ethics and Fair

Treatment at Work
What is ethics?
Ethics and the law
Ethics, public policy, and employee
4-1414

rights

o Unalienable rights
o Public policy
o Employment rights
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-4

Basics of Ethics and Fair

Treatment at Work
Workplace Unfairness
o Ethics are seen as fair
treatment
Why Treat Employees
Fairly?
4-1414
o Perceptions of fairness relate
to employee commitment,
satisfaction
Bullying and Victimization
o www.stopbullying.gov/#
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-5

Review
Ethics
The law
Unfair treatment

4-1414

Public policy and

employee rights
Bullying and Victimization

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-6

Discuss important factors

that shape ethical behavior
4-1414
at work.

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-7

What Shapes Ethical Behavior

at Work?
Three factors combine to determine the
ethical choices we make
The person (bad apples)
4-1414
Situations (bad cases)
Outside forces (bad barrels)
o Pressures
o Ethics policies and codes
o Enforcement, whistleblowers, fraud
controls
o Organizational culture
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-8

Guidelines When Managing Ethical

Behavior at Work
Ethical behavior starts with moral
awareness
4-1414
Cultivating the right
norms, leadership

Reward systems and culture

Morality comes from within
Openly talk about ethics
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-9

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE: HR
Tools for Line Managers and
Entrepreneurs
Studies show small enterprises can
have unethical behavior like big firms
There are several reasons why small
4-1414
firms have to be alert
to unethical
behavior
Small firms dont have the resources
for ethics officers, ethics hotlines, or
the ethics training that big firms have

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-10

Review
Why do people do
bad things?
Research findings4-1414
suggest what
managers can do

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-11

Describe at least four specific

ways in which HR
management 4-1414
can influence
ethical behavior at work.

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-12

Using HR Tools to Promote Ethics

and Fair Treatment
Selection
Ethics training
Performance appraisal
4-1414
Reward and disciplinary systems
Managing ethics compliance

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-13

Employee Privacy Policies

Employee privacy
o The problem
4-1414
Employee monitoring

o Restrictions

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-14

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE:
HR as a Profit Center
Employee access to company network
information systems is monitored
4-1414

Employers ranging from United Parcel

Service to the City of Oakland,
California, use GPS units to monitor
their truckers whereaboutsand
therefore productivity
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-15

Review
Selection
Training
Performance

4-1414

Rewards
Compliance and the law

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-16

Employ fair disciplinary

practices.
4-1414

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-17

Managing Employee Discipline

Basics of a fair and just
disciplinary process
o Rules and regulations
4-1414
o Progressive penalties
o Formal disciplinary appeals
processes
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-18

Discipline without Punishment

1. Oral reminder
2. Formal written reminder
4-1414
3. Decision-making
leave

4. Purge suspension from file

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-19

Review
Fairness
Unfair behavior
Rules and regulations
Penalties

4-1414

Appeals
Discipline, not punishment

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-20

Explain what is meant by

employee relations and
what employers can do to
4-1414
improve
it.

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-21

Managing Employee Relations

What Is Employee Relations?
o Positive employeeemployer relationships
contribute to productivity
4-1414
Improving and assessing
employee relations

through better communications

o Organizational climate surveys

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-22

Managing Employee Relations

Developing Employee
Recognition/Relations Programs
Creating Employee4-1414
Involvement Strategies
o Teams to gain employees involvement
o Employee suggestions

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-23

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE:
HR as a Profit Center
A Lockheed Martin unit in Oswego, NY,
has a program for streamlining
processes
Ideas are electronically
4-1414 submitted
They are evaluated and approved by the
local manager
Saves about $77,000 per implemented
idea, or $100 million each year

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-24

Review
Managing employee relations
Improving employee communications
Developing award4-1414
programs
Strategic employee teams

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-25

Translating Strategy into

HR Policies and Practices

List three more specific steps Hotel Paris

should take with respect to each
4-1414

individual human research function

(selection, training, and so on) to improve
the level of ethics in the company.

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-26

Translating Strategy into

HR Policies and Practices
Based on what you learned in this chapter,
write a short (less than one page)
4-1414
explanation Lisa can
use to sell to top

management the need to further improve

the hotel chains fairness and justice
processes.
Copyright 2015 Pearson
Education Ltd.

14-27

Hotel Paris
Strategy
Chapter 14

4-1414

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-28

4-1414

Copyright 2015 Pearson

Education Ltd.

14-29