Be the Employee Champion
Dear Friends,
Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Recent unearthed financial scams of corporate India have again brought the issue of business ethics in limelight and people have started talking about it .The perception being built up among masses that business wealth and growth can be created only on the foundation of unethical practices, frauds, and malpractices is very dangerous for the economy and society at large. The scale of erosion of ethical business in Indian businesses in many cases is depressing. The measures for the correction in the perception have to be initiated by the top business leaders as captains of Industry as quickly as possible. It is good to strike when iron is hot.
When issue of business ethics or ethical work culture or ethical behaviour of employees is discussed, it is very intelligently reduced to the employees level only thereby stressing the responsibility of HR to build ethical work culture, defining the preferred ethical behaviours and so on but the necessity of flowing the values and beliefs of ethics from top is hardly put at the centre stage. Building ethical culture into business process and strategy by HR is one aspect and making business grow on the ethical foundation by the business leaders is another. Unless the business itself is built up on strong pillars of ethical values and beliefs, working for developing an ethical culture at employee's level will be a misnomer.
There is one more disturbing aspect of this whole episode. Whenever any financial scam in business is unfolded and it falls down in terms of reputation, brand value and profits, the first and foremost sufferers are the employees, be it in the case of kingfisher or Geetanjali, or Neerav Modi or any other. Employees are thrown on roads with no one there to ensure that their legal dues are paid, leave aside the future prospects of service. The unanswered question is why managers sitting at the helms of affairs in different departments of an unethical organisation don't speak up and stand up against the unethical practices? What stops them? Is it their loyalty to the organisation or mere self interest? Why don't they raise their level from mere an employee to the whistle blower in the organisation. It is yet to be seen that any CEO or HR or any top manager or financial head has raised their voice against the malpractices and step down at appropriate time or have done something to save the interest of poor low level employees barring one or two. On one side HR is consistently preached to become a strategic business partner and on the another side in many cases he is not empowered to have any say in business decisions securing the employees interest in organisation. Time is to ponder upon.
HR should not be a moot spectator and first one to fly away in aggravating situation in business leaving the employees in a lurch. It is to be seen that whether in unethical organisation he should act as custodian of business to save employer’s interest or act as champion of employees to secure their legitimate earnings.
Country's top management thinkers and HR practitioners have come together to answer few such questions in this cover story on Business ethics.
If you like it let us know. If not, well, let us know that too.
Happy Reading!
regds,
Anil Kaushik,
Business Manager -HR Magazine
B-138, Ambedkar Nagar, Alwar - 301001 (Raj.) India
Mob. : 09785585134, 07665913854
Whatsapp No. : 7665913854
http://www.businessmanager.in
From India, Delhi
181Dear Friends,
Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Recent unearthed financial scams of corporate India have again brought the issue of business ethics in limelight and people have started talking about it .The perception being built up among masses that business wealth and growth can be created only on the foundation of unethical practices, frauds, and malpractices is very dangerous for the economy and society at large. The scale of erosion of ethical business in Indian businesses in many cases is depressing. The measures for the correction in the perception have to be initiated by the top business leaders as captains of Industry as quickly as possible. It is good to strike when iron is hot.
When issue of business ethics or ethical work culture or ethical behaviour of employees is discussed, it is very intelligently reduced to the employees level only thereby stressing the responsibility of HR to build ethical work culture, defining the preferred ethical behaviours and so on but the necessity of flowing the values and beliefs of ethics from top is hardly put at the centre stage. Building ethical culture into business process and strategy by HR is one aspect and making business grow on the ethical foundation by the business leaders is another. Unless the business itself is built up on strong pillars of ethical values and beliefs, working for developing an ethical culture at employee's level will be a misnomer.
There is one more disturbing aspect of this whole episode. Whenever any financial scam in business is unfolded and it falls down in terms of reputation, brand value and profits, the first and foremost sufferers are the employees, be it in the case of kingfisher or Geetanjali, or Neerav Modi or any other. Employees are thrown on roads with no one there to ensure that their legal dues are paid, leave aside the future prospects of service. The unanswered question is why managers sitting at the helms of affairs in different departments of an unethical organisation don't speak up and stand up against the unethical practices? What stops them? Is it their loyalty to the organisation or mere self interest? Why don't they raise their level from mere an employee to the whistle blower in the organisation. It is yet to be seen that any CEO or HR or any top manager or financial head has raised their voice against the malpractices and step down at appropriate time or have done something to save the interest of poor low level employees barring one or two. On one side HR is consistently preached to become a strategic business partner and on the another side in many cases he is not empowered to have any say in business decisions securing the employees interest in organisation. Time is to ponder upon.
HR should not be a moot spectator and first one to fly away in aggravating situation in business leaving the employees in a lurch. It is to be seen that whether in unethical organisation he should act as custodian of business to save employer’s interest or act as champion of employees to secure their legitimate earnings.
Country's top management thinkers and HR practitioners have come together to answer few such questions in this cover story on Business ethics.
If you like it let us know. If not, well, let us know that too.
Happy Reading!
regds,
Anil Kaushik,
Business Manager -HR Magazine
B-138, Ambedkar Nagar, Alwar - 301001 (Raj.) India
Mob. : 09785585134, 07665913854
Whatsapp No. : 7665913854
http://www.businessmanager.in
From India, Delhi
Very good article. Vast majority of people all over the World still believe in universal principles or values. It is the existence of values that make the World a place to live in.
The tussle between GOOD and EVIL can be traced to mythological times in any civilization. Ethics/ values cut across religion, countries, languages etc.
Hence there is always an uproar, when a sports person cheats or a politician hood winks the people or unscrupulous wealthy vanish quietly.
Values have their eminent place. They have to be taught to the next generation without fail.
Those who follow values may be few: but it is these few that still bind the society. Corporate houses on their part should stand by the values. Without an iota of doubt it can be said that values have to be top driven in any organization.
V.Raghunathan
Chennai
From India
The tussle between GOOD and EVIL can be traced to mythological times in any civilization. Ethics/ values cut across religion, countries, languages etc.
Hence there is always an uproar, when a sports person cheats or a politician hood winks the people or unscrupulous wealthy vanish quietly.
Values have their eminent place. They have to be taught to the next generation without fail.
Those who follow values may be few: but it is these few that still bind the society. Corporate houses on their part should stand by the values. Without an iota of doubt it can be said that values have to be top driven in any organization.
V.Raghunathan
Chennai
From India
Current scenario of scams galore show lack of business ethics and personal integrity.Net work of well connected people manage to get huge loans and even escape from the nation.
Bankers fail to do due diligence and loans get sanctioned and turn into NPAs which hit the common man as subsequent write offs.
A movement to bring basic levels of integrity, ethics is urgently needed for nation to come out of current turmoil, brought entirely due to treating their business as source of drawing huge amounts of loans which get rescheduled to suit the loanee and even write off if necessary.
From India, Pune
Bankers fail to do due diligence and loans get sanctioned and turn into NPAs which hit the common man as subsequent write offs.
A movement to bring basic levels of integrity, ethics is urgently needed for nation to come out of current turmoil, brought entirely due to treating their business as source of drawing huge amounts of loans which get rescheduled to suit the loanee and even write off if necessary.
From India, Pune
Hello Professionals,
recently experienced that some of the employees of one company (manufacturing unit) is giving loans on very higher interest rates to other employees (most of them are workers).
Even the workers who have taken loans have paid the interest more than principal amount and still principal amount is standing due to pay.
This is leading to many issues unnecessary overtime, excessive overtime, poor work culture etc.
Can anyone please advise how can we stop this practice?
Thanks,
Vikrant
From India, Faridabad
recently experienced that some of the employees of one company (manufacturing unit) is giving loans on very higher interest rates to other employees (most of them are workers).
Even the workers who have taken loans have paid the interest more than principal amount and still principal amount is standing due to pay.
This is leading to many issues unnecessary overtime, excessive overtime, poor work culture etc.
Can anyone please advise how can we stop this practice?
Thanks,
Vikrant
From India, Faridabad
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