ADMIN 3216 - Section A

Satnam Singh Sanga – 229659140

Assignment 1: Ethical and Professional Standards in Recruitment and

Selection
Ethical and Professional Standards Implications

The said scenario is an unethical practice at the workplace because the HR profession is all about
respect, integrity, competence, and social responsibility. Per the given situation, the employer is
asking to design and implement a selection system that will screen out all new job applicants
having pro-union attitudes violets its ethical principles. It is also contradicting with the standards
and code of conduct that apply to the HR profession, such as adhering to the law, the values of
the profession, and the best practices of HR management. The scenario presented raises several
ethical and professional standards concerns. Such as:

 Breach of Ethical Codes for HR Professionals: According to Canadian Human Resources

Professionals Association (CPHRA) Code of Ethics emphasizes principles like fairness,
respect, and transparency. Designing and implementing a system to select the applicants
having pro-union attitudes violets these principles and leads to disciplinary action.
 Transparency in the hiring process: The employer asking to keep the selection process a
secret causes ethical concerns. Hiding the intentions of selection from the job applicants and
the concerned authorities undermines transparency and honesty in the workplace. The article
“Code of ethics” by SHRM, emphasizes the importance of ethical conduct in HR
management. It also discusses the need for transparency, fairness, and honesty in all HR
practices, including recruitment and selection. As per the article, the employer’s request
violates these principles by intentionally deceiving job applicants and compromising
transparency.
 Violation of worker rights: Selecting the workers based on their pro-union stance is directly
violating the workers right to freedom of association and fair treatment in the workplace. The
article “Ethical Behavior in the Workplace: What It Is & Why It’s Important” by HR Daily
Advisor highlights HR’s role in promoting ethical behavior within organizations. It stresses
the need for HR professionals to act with integrity, honesty, and fairness. According to the
article the employer’s request contradicts these principles by asking you to design a system
that discriminates based on union views.
Consequences of following the Management's Requests

On the employees:

 A decline of Morale and Trust: Feeling misinformed and distrusted would likely lower
employee engagement and morale. The secrecy of the system would increase this mistrust
and contaminate the workplace.
 Discrimination: Employees who support unionization may experience secret or overt
discrimination, which breeds fear and intimidation. Psychological strain, anxiety, and
even possible management retaliation could result from this.
 Legal Actions: The affected employees can file a legal lawsuit against the employer and
could claim compensation. It could also result in the company’s reputation going down if
the word spreads.

On HR consultant:

 Reputation: I will lose my credibility as an HR consultant if I am connected to such

immoral activities. It might also endanger my career in this field.
 Legal actions: Should the unethical practices be uncovered, my involvement in the
process could have legal repercussions, which could result in fines and penalties as well
as prevent me from working as an HR in the future.
 Guilt and Stress: I will feel uncomfortable and deeply guilty if I engage in unethical
behavior, which may have an adverse effect on my mental health.

Dealing with the situation

 Refuse and educate the employer: I will inform the management of the situation's
implications and first refuse to take part in any such activities. The article "The Role of
HR in Promoting Ethics and Integrity in the Workplace" emphasizes this point. HR has a
key role to play in fostering a culture of ethics and trust in the workplace.
 Offer alternative: I can offer alternative solutions to the employer which focuses on
building a positive relation within the employees and the employer.
 Terminating the contract: if the employer is still determined to carry out immoral
behavior. Since integrity will come before immediate gain, I will think about canceling
the employer's contract.
 Consult legal advice: I will seek legal consultation to understand the consequences of
being involved in such practices.
 Documentation: I'll make sure to keep a record of every conversation I have with the
employer as I handle this. This will support me in any court cases.

 References

About us - CPHR/CRHA Canada. (2023, February 23). CPHR/CRHA Canada.

https://cphr.ca/cphr-canada/about-us/

Ethical behavior in the workplace: What it is & why it’s important - HR Daily Advisor. (2021,

June 3). HR Daily Advisor. https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2021/06/03/the-importance-of-

ethical-behavior-in-the-workplace/

SHRM. (n.d.). Code of Ethics. https://www.shrm.org/about/bylaws-and-code-of-ethics/code-of-

ethics

Sayed, Z. (2022, July 25). The role of HR in promoting ethics and integrity in the workplace|

HRForecast. HRForecast. https://hrforecast.com/ethics-and-integrity-in-human-resource-

management/