Ethics Issues in Management

Hiring

In business hiring can be considered a daily function in the human resources organization. During the hiring process businesses have to follow and comply with laws to make sure the business is not committing unethical acts against future employees. For example, discrimination against potential candidates based on their race, religion, creed or gender is strictly prohibited. Hiring managers hold the basic tools in understanding what is the right and wrong way of hiring new employees and the organization makes certain that they are in compliance with state and federal laws as well as company policies and procedures.

The moral and ethical issues faced by managers are ensuring that they are not biased against the candidates. Oftentimes, managers are faced with decisions on hiring an applicant based on their skills and abilities for perform their job function so the manager has to keep in mind those facts and not judge based on discriminating factors. It is up to the organization to keep the hiring manager abreast of any changing laws that would constitute discrimination so they need to be on top of all laws and policies that govern the hiring process. If the manager does not use good judgment and moral character then the hiring process could be flawed leading to potential lawsuits brought about from applicants which can prove costly to many companies.

Most employers today use drug screening tests prior to a newly hired employee from beginning work. Drug free work environments are predominate in most industries and are usually strictly enforced in any work setting. Employees might think it is socially acceptable to abuse drugs in their personal life but in the professional environment it is not acceptable and could be grounds for termination if employed or denial of employment during the hiring process. The reason for companies to use drug screening is to promote a healthy environment for their employees as well as decrease their risk of liability if something were to go wrong while an employee is under the influence of any type of drug.

Another type of pre-employment screening used by organizations is the background test. Many employers feel the need to ensure safety amongst their employees specifically when there are criminal actions that have taken place by an applicant. Crimes can be considered a red flag to potential hiring managers especially if they reflect felony crimes. Hiring managers would need to consider the outcome of situations that involved tasks performed at the workplace that could set up a situation that would be harmful to other employees. In any cases dealing with ex-criminals it is essential that hiring managers are aware of the laws and policies reflected by the company so that they are fully understood.

A workplace example of an ethical dilemma related to hiring managers would be that a position became available that the manager knew would be a perfect fit for

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