WHEN HR GETS IT WRONG

 

 "MISCONDUCT WON'T CHANGE UNTIL CULTURE DOES"

Human resources describe the people who makeup the workforce of any Organization, business sector or economy. But are these people always just? Always fair? What happens when these people become unethical? When these people who were supposed to employ the best of the best start enjoying favoritism? When they start discriminating on the basis of race, gender or worse: disability? When they start harassing? Showing inappropriate behaviour and misconduct? Where do the people who have worked hard day and night to get that job go? What do the people who actually deserved to get that job do?

 

 

But who is responsible for this misconduct and favoritism? The company? The government? 

The answer is: the people themselves. The so called recruiters, Employers, interviewers. Nobody can teach you honesty, loyalty, discipline; it all comes from within. All the ethical as well as the unethical practices of any organization reflects the type of values and culture the workforce has. So many cases of these unethical practices reach the media, and if it becomes a big news, the manager is asked to resign but if it's not, they are just asked to pay some fine; that too if the manager is unlucky , otherwise the luck of the organization and the recruiters favor them and they are left: unharmed. 

For the record, more than 56% of employees have witnessed or experienced inappropriate, unethical or illegal behaviour at workplaces but the issues are often left unreported or ininvestigated because employees fear consequences that they do not want to face and think that they wont be taken seriously.                                       (Source:www.peoplematterpeoplemattersglobal.com)

So, what should be done?

It is very important for the people themselves to understand and respect their position, they should aim to make careers and not to give just jobs. If any complaint is lodged, it should be taken seriously and necessary action should be taken against it. People should be hired on the basis of their skills and not degree. The HR managers should treat each and every one equally; as they all are working for the company's benefit. The recruiters should ignore all the biases, as the business world has no place for emotions or relations. HR managers need to learn civility and empathy. They should give their heart and soul for the company's benefit. The important thing is: there should be no place for discrimination. It is not only illegal, but also hampers the growth of the individual who's going through it, moreover, it proves harmful for the company's growth and affects the already working workforce as it instills fear and demotivation among them. In today's world, when most of the things and procedures are technology based, the training of an individual should be live, and not online.  

Stringent standards, rules and regulations, punishments, are to be enforced in the workplace; this would ensure that the misconduct will not repeat itself again! The supervisors should be disciplined and there should be a special investigation team to investigate into the complaints and keep a check for conduct and appropriate behaviour constantly. There should be policies regarding harassment, discrimination, bullying and other uncivil behaviours and some serious repercussions should be laid down. Every employee working in the organization should be familiar with the code of conduct that is universally or at least nationally accepted. Instructions regarding code of conduct should be laid down clearly and professional behaviour should be celebrated and practiced. Moreover, it is very important for the professionals themselves to set an example for the others by following and enjoying the ethical values in any organizations. the cultures or stereotypes should never come in the way for ethical and professional behaviour!