Human Resources Management in the only function in a business which directly deals with people. Ethical behaviour therefore becomes extremely significant to it. Corporations are mostly interested in profits, sustainability, brand building etc. Hence the HR function must take the call in practicing the aUniversal Firsta principle which is fundamental to ethical behaviour. Professor Kolodinsky pointed out that there is a chasm between the interests of the firms, the employees and the society. The workers are interested in recognition, respect, skill development, challenging work, security and a sense of belonging besides emoluments. While Corporations want profit maximization, community at large expects no adverse impact on it. Synchronization of these diverse interests is the responsibility of the HRM function and hence the onus of ethical behaviour rests on its shoulders.
In the lecture he also outlined a few reasons of unethical behaviour which was defined by the group as lack of sensitivity towards the interest of others. Pressure to perform, cost constraints, temptation, greed, retaliation for some ill treatment were a few causes stated. Some interesting cases and instances were brought to the platform to illustrate the connections.
Doing ethical business maybe a little difficult especially at the nascent stages of a firm but that alone makes it stand apart from its competitors. The HR managers must ensure that the firm treats its employees fairly and set the tone for ethical behaviour elsewhere in the dealings of organization.