A1: Ethical practice and the role of the people professional

7 March 2020

Tina Russell

Professional Conduct & Ethics Lead

Today’s session:

• Why is ethical practice important?

• What ethical practice means

• Upholding ethical values

• Challenges faced by HR professionals

• “Your Member has been dishonest, made a statement which she has since admitted was not correct …. She is not acting with honesty, integrity or professionalism in line with your code”

• “There are some awful HR practitioners around who continue their bad practice with impunity, making people’s lives a misery.”

• “HR is a profession which pays a good salary. I was entitled to expect better …. “

• “The CIPD member should be held accountable for any professional failings.”

• “Your Member has acted in a way unbecoming of someone associated with the CIPD. His behaviour was offensive, degrading, unprofessional and deliberate…”

Why is ethical practice important?

• Professional Competence and Behaviour

• Ethical Standards and Integrity

• Representative of the profession

• Stewardship

CIPD’s Code of Professional Conduct

Potential implications

If allegation(s) are upheld, the Panel may exercise one or more of the following:

• Advise the Member regarding their future conduct and/or direct them to apologise

• Reprimand the Member

• Permit membership to continue, subject to conditions (e.g. further training)

• Expel them from the Institute for a specified period of time / permanently.

Getting it wrong

Investigations %

Mishandling of investigation/grievance process 42

Mishandling of data 27

Handling of dismissal process 18

Unprofessional service delivery 6

Social media 4

Discrimination in recruitment 3

Hearings %Mishandling of data 60Handling of dismissal process 18Unprofessional service delivery 9Plagiarism 9Bullying and harassment 4

• Conflicts of interest

• Consultants

• Social media

• Handling of grievances/investigations/disciplinary processes

Beware

Upholding ethical values

Our purpose

Championing

better work

and working

lives...

...by improving practices in

people and organisation

development...

...for the benefit of individuals,

businesses, economies and

society.

What does ethical practice look like?

Principles-based approach

From following ‘best practice’… ...to leading with a focus on added value

Where am I

now?

What

am I

trying to

achieve

?

Which road

will I take to

get there?

Which roads

are others

taking?

What kind of person do I

need to be to make

judgments of value ?

Lenses for looking at workplace dilemmas

Merit Fairness Market

Wellbeing RightsHanding

down

Democracy Character

How do practitioners approach ethical dilemmas?

Handing down

Character

Rights

Wellbeing

Greater good

Merit

Democracy

FairnessMarket

‘Right’ thing to do

Not a priority

Prevalent in

current practice

Less prevalent in

current practice

A Decision Making FrameworkAppendix 5, page 30 of the Guide

Challenges faced by HR professionals• Getting people to understand the impact they have

• Complaints about Directors/Managers

• Board/Executive Leaders not considering ethics

• Decisions made by inexperienced Managers

• Social media – crossover from personal to work

• Fairness & inconsistent application of policies

• Changes – how they will affect the workforce

• Relationships with colleagues/lack of support for HR

• Recruitment bias/positive discrimination

• Dealing with mental health

Supporting the profession

CIPD Member Benefits

cipd.co.uk/membership/benefits

Workplace Dilemmas: in confidence

• http://www.cipd.co.uk/Community/discussion-forum

Research reports

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/workplace-decisions-report

Factsheets

• Corporate responsibility: an introduction

• Evidence based practice

• Bribery at work: how to prevent it

• Whistleblowing at work

• Harassment and bullying at work

• Ethical Practice and the role of HR

Podcasts

• Trust

• Does corporate governance need fresh thinking?

• HR and business ethics

• Fairness at work

• Is there truly a trust crisis or is it all just rhetoric?

• Ethics: a leadership imperative

Articles

• Making ethics a business priority

• What stops us from acting ethically at work

• Ensuring evidence based HR practice

• Ethical behaviour – are CEO’s falling short?

• Rivalry stokes the fire of unethical behaviour

• Can job insecurity fuel unethical behaviour?

• How do we reward and recognise good deeds?

• Unethical behaviour – restoring investors’ trust

• Keep it civilised – mending a divided workplace

• Taking action to shape the future of work

• Ethics and professionalism

• Moral character

• Fairness and corporate culture

• Putting principle before profit

• Good work

• Employers’ duty of care

Textbooks

How you can get involved:

1. Share dilemmas for our dilemma bank2. Register to volunteer

E: ethics@cipd.co.uk