Ethics in Recruitment and Selection

Ethics in recruitment and selection has two main approaches, one regarding the policies underlying decisions to recruit professionals in a specific social group to provide a community with necessary services (Xu & Zhang 2005), the other related to the way in which the specific processes of recruitment and selection are carried out (Chidi, Ogunyomi & Badejo 2012; Dineen, Noe & Wang 2004). Hiring managers should be aware of the ethical implications of hiring the right person, as ethics is a primary responsibility of management (Paine 1994). If an organization is only as effective as its employees, then it is the hiring manager who must understand that recruiting an ethical employee is of the utmost importance for the organization (York 2014). The actions of just a few compromised individuals who purposefully act in an unethical fashion can ruin an entire organization’s reputation (Ashkanasy, Windsor, & Treviño 2006). Companies that choose to operate according to an internal ethical standard, should also pursue ethical hiring procedures and guiding principles (Alder & Gilbert 2006).

Importance of Hiring Ethics

Hiring ethics, much like many business research topics, is of both theoretical and practical importance. Research into this topic results in a visible framework for understanding the specific character traits exhibited by candidates for open positions while providing an ethical foundation for organizational leaders responsible for hiring. The more that is known about the subject of hiring ethics, the greater opportunity that theory has to influence practice. Many theoretical/philosophical elements influence the body of knowledge relating to this subject including human resource development (HRD), organizational diversity, descriptive leadership ethics, normative philosophies, etc. (Villegas, Vengrouskie and Lloyd 2019)

Executive search, Headhunting and Ethical values

(Aksoy 2016)

The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) offers guidance to its members on their conduct (Bettleyon & Weston, 1986). Several standards of excellence have been developed in line with its code of professional practice. According to the AESC, the values aligned with executive search practices are,

1. Integrity
2.  Excellence
3. Objectivity
4. Diversity and Inclusion
   
5. Confidentiality
6. Avoiding conflicts of interest                                                                                                           

Ethics in Recruitment and Selection

Off‐limits guarantee - Headhunters have an ethical obligation to inform their client of the off‐limit constraints as long as such information is relevant for the client to decide whether to engage the headhunter (Mele & Roig 1995). This guarantee is for a limited period only (usually 1–2 years) and the search firm is free to do business in other industries if it so desires, but this drawback should not be used as an excuse for not offering the off‐limit guarantee (Lim & Chan 2001).

Gather adequate and accurate job vacancy data - It is the headhunter’s responsibility to define the job vacancy accurately for the job candidate so that the candidate has sufficient information to make a choice (Lim & Chan 2001). The headhunter must not only provide accurate information, such as job requirements and the social and organizational environments that will affect the job candidate’s performance (Jenn 1994; Mele & Roig 1995). A search consultant with low ethical values may not provide sufficient information to the candidate and accept a search assignment even when the chances of success are limited (McCreary 1997).

Information collection and provision - Both the candidate and client organization have a right to receive sufficient information about the job vacancy. An unethical headhunter may, however, deceive the candidate into accepting a job by withholding critical information, such as the risks involved in the new job (Mele & Roig 1995). The absence of important information may lead to costly mistakes when the candidate is unable to perform well on the job (Mele & Roig 1995; Whitney 1969).

Adequate evaluation of the candidate - It is critical that headhunters conduct an in‐depth assessment of the candidate (background and current performance) as well as evaluate the compatibility between the candidate’s work style and personality and the client organization’s corporate culture (Goldstein, H.W. and Pulakos 2017). An ethical headhunter will conduct a thorough search for all relevant information; failure to do so may lead to their presenting unqualified professionals to the client organizations (Lim & Chan 2001; Mele & Roig 1995).

Use of confidential information - Lim and Chan (2001) states that, the main concern with the use of confidential information is its possible unauthorized use for purposes beyond the process of recruitment. Headhunters who maintain a high ethical standard are usually able to assess the potential damage of the search and recognize that candidates have the right to choose their employer and job position (Mele & Roig, 1995).

Harm to the candidate’s employer - An ethical headhunter should always consider the potential harm of approaching an employee in another organization, especially if it is clear this may have had profound consequences, such as bankruptcy or a drastic drop in profitability and sales (Lim & Chan, 2001).     

Nowadays, a majority of companies hire people without even using a fair selection process. People are chosen for positions in several government agencies in Sri Lanka based on political directives and false recommendations. This is incredibly immoral and inhibits these companies from recruiting qualified and skilled workers. This eventually causes the country to experience inflation and a financial crisis as well as directly causing the top government entities to go bankrupt. Due to this, hiring practices are crucial when it comes to selection and recruitment.

List of References

1.      Alder, G. S., & Gilbert, J. (2006). Achieving ethics and fairness in hiring: Going beyond the law. Journal of Business Ethics, 68(4), 449–464.

2.      Ashkanasy, N. M., Windsor, C. A., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Bad apples in bad barrels revisited: Cognitive moral development, just world beliefs, rewards, and ethical decision-making. Business Ethics Quarterly, 16(4), 449–473.

3.      Bettleyon, S., & Weston, T. (1986). Executive search firms: Are they looking for you? Orange County Business Journal, 9, 25.

4.      Chidi, O. C., Ogunyomi, O. P., & Badejo, A. E. (2012). Promoting ethical human resource management practices in work organisations in Nigeria: Roles of HR professionals. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2(2), 116–131.

5.      Goldstein, H.W. and Pulakos, E.D. (eds) (2017) “Section I Recruitment,” in The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

6.      Jenn, N. G. (1994). Executive Search in Asia‐Pacific: Choosing and Using a Headhunter. London: The Economist Intelligence Unit.

7.      Lim, G–S., & Chan, C. (2001). Ethical values of executive search consultants. Journal of Business Ethics, 29, 213–226.

8.      McCreary, C. (1997). Get the most out of search firms. Workforce, 28–30.

9.      Mele, D., & Roig, B. (1995), Ethical issues in executive search consultancy. In H. W. Hoivik & A. Follesdal (Eds.), Ethics and Consultancy: European Perspectives (pp. 135–148). Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic.

10.  Paine, L. S. (1994). Managing for organizational integrity. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1994/03/managing-for-organizational-integrity

11.  Villegas, S.G., Vengrouskie, E.F. and Lloyd, R. (2019) “Human resources as ethical gatekeepers: Hiring ethics and employee selection,” Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 16(2).

12.  Whitney, K. (1969). Ethics for recruiting employees and executives. Management of Personnel Quarterly, Summer, 13–15.

13.  Xu, Y., & Zhang, J. (2005). One size doesn’t fit all: Ethics of international nurse recruitment from the conceptual framework of stakeholder interests. Nursing Ethics, 12(6), 571–581.

14.  York, C. D. (2014). Hone in on your hiring practices. Journal of Property Management, 79(3), 26–26.