Manage HR
It
is the quality and the standard of the human resource recruited
that plays a key roll in differentiating between a successful
organisations and a "run of mill" organisation . In
this section, we will discuss the issues relating to this valuable
resource through a series of articles. And yes, we are
open to contributions from masters of this Art ... Are you one?
Where
angels fear to tread
Right,
wrong, and criminal! Biz ethics and workplace morals need more
than a mention. Employers who have called it hogwash have learnt
the hard way. Walker Information Inc and Hudson Institute conducted
a research that revealed that out of 747 HR managers interviewed,
31% admitted that they didn’t have any office ethics in
place! 61% stated that they did not provide any training on
ethical standards.
Spirit
of laws
Laws
are meant to prevent abuse, and organisations need to have a
philosophy that spells out its general corporate values. It
should contain the duties of the employees, the concessions
and rights they are entitled to, and what becomes of them if
they violate it.
Adherence
to this cannot be enforced with absolute rigidity. Hence organisations
should foster a positive commitment towards corporate values.
Personal training should help employees understand the sprit
behind these laws and can thereby prevent misuse of what rightfully
belongs to the company. Conversely pushing such rules too far
by reciting them every now-and-then may not be a good idea as
employees may come to resent it. Thus a healthy balance needs
to be maintained.
Bring
it to pass
Make
them feel it belongs to them. When employers give workers the
liberty to feel they own the place, it helps them feel a lot
more responsible. Asking them questions like “ If you had
to pay these bills” or “If it were your house”
will make them see the logic behind complying with the code.
Involving
one employee from each department while formulating the ethical
code can guarantee unanimous acceptance. Training the employees
and communicating an ethics programme can also help employees
improve decision-making and reasoning abilities.
After
its conventional training programme proved ineffectual, Lockheed
Martin Corp, a Bethesda based company started its innovative
training programme. Real lifer situations and ethical dilemmas
were discussed through a game called “The Ethics Challenge”.
This was designed to help employees gauge and improve their
knowledge of ethics with the help of comic characters like Dilbert
and Dogbert.
Lockheed
Martin Corp also distributes an interactive CD-ROM, an ethics
calendar and computer screen saver featuring the building blocks
of trust, for employees to use and learn at their own pace.
The innovative training programme made employees aware of the
company’s stand on ethics. For adherence to company ethics
a positive and negative reinforcement policy needs to be developed
too.
HR
managers need to educate employees about the ethical conduct
necessary and the disciplinary action that can be taken against
them in case of an aberration. This can help employee-employer
relationship stay on the track without taking undue advantage
of each other.
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