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Ethical HR Leadership
Consider what Wachter means by the following statement: “Laws and regulations largely inform individuals what they cannot do, but ethics instruct individuals and organization as to what they should do. Ethics are about doing the right thing, not about not doing the wrong thing.”
Give an example of an HR strategy that requires moral courage, conviction, and professional understanding to look out for workers and the public despite other pressures. Recommend an HR strategy to overcome the pressures. In your recommendation, cite a situation from your readings, research, and/or experience.
Submission, APA, 3 paragraphs
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Ethical HR Leadership
Example of an HR Strategy Requiring Moral Courage:
An HR strategy that demands moral courage is whistleblower protection and support. When employees witness unethical behavior, such as unsafe working conditions or financial misconduct, it takes significant courage—and robust HR backing—for them to come forward. For instance, in the healthcare industry, reporting understaffed shifts or unsafe patient care can endanger both the reporter’s job and patients’ lives. HR professionals must advocate for these whistleblowers, even when doing so conflicts with organizational leadership or economic pressures. This aligns with Wachter’s assertion that ethics involve doing the right thing, not merely avoiding wrongdoing.
Recommended HR Strategy:
To overcome these pressures, HR should implement a formal whistleblower protection policy reinforced by anonymous reporting channels, psychological support, and zero-retaliation enforcement. Training programs can promote a culture where ethical concerns are welcomed and addressed promptly. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some hospital systems silenced nurses who reported lack of PPE; ethical HR practices would instead create secure systems to escalate these concerns internally and ensure employee safety (Gerber, 2021). Upholding such strategies shows moral leadership and protects both employees and the public.
Supporting Example from Research:
According to the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (2021), organizations with strong ethical cultures are 467% more likely to report misconduct and 50% less likely to experience retaliation. This underscores the necessity for HR to build frameworks that encourage ethical behavior beyond legal compliance. In line with Wachter’s perspective, ethics guide us toward proactive integrity—HR must serve as the conscience of the organization, fostering transparency and prioritizing worker and public welfare above organizational silence.
References
Ethics & Compliance Initiative. (2021). 2021 Global Business Ethics Survey. https://www.ethics.org/
Gerber, M. (2021). Nurses say hospitals retaliated against them for speaking out. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/18/978874758