COVID-19 has forced HR to prioritize various ethical considerations. Issues like vaccinations, sanitization, masking, and so on have become a daily task for HR professionals. Some considerations mentioned below should be regarded so that you are prepared when any such predicament hits the world.
Does the End Justify the Means?
According to Machiavelli, the end justifies the means, which means that it is the end result that makes a difference, it does not matter what needs to be said or done.
According to an ethicist, this saying is still relevant in corporate ethics and the code of conduct, particularly to address the shortcuts accountants and finance professionals might take to validate their doings in the financial records.
It holds accountants and finance professionals responsible for financial statements and internal controls. Corrupting financial statements is known to be a violation of the moral principle or ethical code of conduct and might result in the redundancy of the employee if the act was done consciously, and with the intention to exploit the financial statements.
Keep in mind that the way an organization achieves its goals is equally important as the goal themselves.
The Need for Visibility
Transparency is an important factor in ethical decision-making and seems to be analytical irrespective of the kind of issues a company faces. It is the responsibility of the senior executives to have complete transparency when it comes to working for saving employees from harm, especially during the pandemic.
Note that the decisions made individually and on an organizational level impact your employees as well as their families, worth taking into consideration in a time of extreme panic because of the epidemic.
Workplace cultures that endorse ethics moves around transparency. Value-based organizations depend on practices that focus on exposure and assessment to solve ethical challenges. By this, we mean that if an organization has any positive coronavirus cases while in the workplace and chooses not to make it known, there is a possibility they might transfer it to family members. The reason for not disclosing it is that the organization did not want to worry anyone. Such failures in ethical decision-making can have a huge impact on employees’ health and might force them to switch jobs.
The most apparent reason for workers leaving the job and continuing doing so is because many organizations failed to handle the pandemic efficiently.
Environmental sustainability and CSR
Millennials and members of Generation Z are mainly focused on diversity, justice, CSR, career and professional development, and faith in senior leadership. They are also concerned about what has the organization done to help the local community? How have they helped their employees live a safer life? More so, has your organization shared the insight and taken the necessary to lessen the noise coming from outside sources that are affecting your employees?
If you did find it worth it, you might have missed the chance to illustrate your moral and ethical leadership which now might be worth working on.
Ethics and the future of work
Opportunities to modify our culture and norms have never been more widespread. Encircling this is an important question about what will the work look and feel like once we completely return?
It is obvious that employees need a greater sense of work-life balance gender equality needs to be addressed in term of promotional and compensational opportunities and health and safety issue requires more resources. In terms of the epidemic, time is needed to consider the effect of choices on people’s lives like comparing the risk from vaccination versus from vaccines but time is one factor that is not in our favor during the pandemic.
COVID-19 has increased the risks for all organizations to consider ethical thinking and discussion a top priority. Companies should inform their stakeholders about what they are doing to address the pandemic and their role in making the local community a better place. They should keep in mind that “What you want for yourself, give to another”.
Businesses engaged in such practices will not only put the existing at ease but will also make working in the organization attractive for people outside the organization. Your employees will be by your side for such a predicament in the future.