Ethics inform individuals and organizations of an acceptable and encouraged standard of behavior that all should follow. They set the tone for an organization’s conduct and how they should act in the several circumstances that are inherent to business: daily work, client meetings, business travel, etc. Since each individual is unique, their personal beliefs, mores, norms, values, and experiences govern their decision-making, and no one decision will be exactly like another. More than that, their cultural backgrounds, education, and cognitive biases – both conscious and unconscious – also play a role in their decision-making. From an organizational perspective, the business’s principles, values, and ethical expectations influence decision-making. These ladder up from individual decision-making standards, which are driven by the aforementioned factors. Other factors include rewards and consequences, sanctions, ethical training, organizational culture, and the culture among and between employers and employees. Reaching an ethical decision in a dilemma greatly depends on properly balancing the organization’s best interest with the decision-maker’s personal mores and values. In many cases, especially historic corporation scandals, many decision-makers go against the best interest of the company for self-serving purposes (Kuenzi et al., 2020). A helpful guide that human resource managers can use to perfect the art of ethical decision-making is as follows:
1.
Knowing the relevant organizational laws at the federal, state, and local levels.
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Prioritizing ethics training and professional development.
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Setting the standard for ethical decision-making as a human resource leader.
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Emphasizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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Creating a zero-tolerance policy for serious infractions or egregious misconduct.
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Maintaining constant communication and transparency.
