Ethics in Human Resource Management

The academic debate on business ethics mainly concentrates on the social and ecological responsibility of companies within the society. Ethics are being regarded as crucial in the external self-presentation and public perception of (economic) organisations. The model of ‘enlightened selfinterest’ of business claims that only those companies can be economically successful which manage to convince their stakeholders of their moral integrity. According to the model, the implementation of ethical standards lies in the self-interest of companies.
As some authors state in recent publications, ethics also become more and more an internal concern of organisations. Whereas formerly the interests of employees were ignored or only regarded as one of several stakeholders’ interests, the ethical management of employees itself gains in significance. Especially human resource management (HRM) plays a decisive role in introducing and implementing ethics. The essay outlines some aspects of ethics in HRM. It sketches ethical concerns that emerged in recent HRM debates, and reflects the viewpoint that ethics should be a pivotal issue for HR specialists. A number of ethical frameworks and their application in HRM policies and practices are reviewed. Here, the focus is mainly on barriers and obstacles to introducing ethical standards in HRM activities. Finally, some first steps to putting ethics into HRM practice are outlined.