Integrity

Honest References Required

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Is honesty the best policy when dealing with reference checks?

There should only be one answer to this question.

That answer is a resounding: ‘Yes!’

If only the reality of recruitment practices reflected this basic principle during the reference checking process. Unfortunately, there are numerous examples of the recruitment process failing at the very end, due to dishonest approaches by either the candidate or the potential employer in an effort to get the recruitment job done and to get the candidate into the job itself.

The most common example comes from the assessment of the candidate’s personal or behavioural attributes. Many employers fear the threat of a lawsuit if they provide a negative reference for a former employee. Rather than telling the ‘truth’, however, employers find themselves giving neutral information that says nothing at all about someone’s conduct or professional behaviour. Many organizations have a policy that restricts reference providers to giving fact based information only, such as confirmation of employment history with no performance or behaviour related commentary. While not dishonest, this approach may not provide the reference checker with a full picture of the candidate’s behavioural profile.

A recent decision by the Ontario Supreme Court has relieved this burden of neutrality on the part of the employer. This case establishes a precedent that an unfavourable, and yet honest, opinion of the former employee is acceptable.

Click here to read about the case

On the employer side, manipulation and dishonest practices have also left a stain on the integrity of recruitment practices. Sometimes recruiters themselves make fraudulent claims about a candidate in order to get that person into a position and collect the resulting monetary reward. The results from these types of actions are extremely costly and severely damaging. The need for ethical and honest practices on the recruitment side are explored in a recent article posted in HRM On-line magazine.

Click here to read the article  

What does good HR practice require us to do?

Allow for time to get integrity-based reference checking done right.

HR practitioners need to plan and prepare for this final stage of the recruitment process with the same amount of focus, integrity and due diligence that has gone into all of the previous recruitment and selection steps. There is no benefit from rushing and manipulating the reference checking process just to get through the final stage as quickly as possible.

The investment in making a sound hiring decision is just as important at the end as it was in the beginning. The constructive results from an honest and integrity-based process all the way through will always prove to be the right way to go.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Thinking of your own situation, who will you approach for professional and constructive references in your job search?
  2. As an HR practitioner, what steps can you put into place to ensure the integrity of the reference checking process?
  3. If you found out someone gave a bad reference for you, what actions would you take?
  4. How will you respond to someone who asks you for a reference that you would not be able to support?

 

 

Talent Management Expertise

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While Recruitment and Selection is usually linked together and included as one of the many functions within a Human Resources department, it is one of the few programs that can be implemented as a successful stand-alone business option.

There are numerous recruitment services across Canada providing support to organizations that need or want to use external expertise in order to find solutions to their staffing concerns. There are firms that provide immediate or short-term staffing solutions, such as temporary agencies supplying specialized workers for daily, weekly, or mid-terms assignments. There are also high-level talent management agencies (headhunters) that work with organizations to fill senior or executive level positions. In either case, these companies are focused on making the link between what an organization needs and what the marketplace of potential candidates offers in order to fill those needs.

As with any business, productive talent management firms thrive on passion and commitment to best practices in recruitment strategies. A recent interview with Erica Briody (Senior VP, Global Talent Acquisition) provides us with an excellent overview of what success looks like as a leader in this field.

Click here to read the interview.

Of the key messages that Briody shares through the interview, one is the need for Talent Acquisition and Human Resources to be proactive and aligned with the organization’s business practices. In addition, Briody, advocates for well-designed recruitment plan in order to meet the needs of the business, which may not be a one-size-fits-all strategy.

On the one hand, the proactive response needed from Human Resources to ensure that recruitment efforts are aligned with business needs do reinforce sound corporate practices. On the other hand, adapting recruitment design to fit a specific organizational need may be more of a challenge. As Human Resources practitioners, we are trained to provide objective and systematic approaches in recruitment in order to avoid or diminish potential discriminatory, illegal or subjective practices. We are trained to not place the organization at risk through the implementation of overly creative practices.

Perhaps a take-away from this expert is the reinforcement of the view that the role of Human Resources is always a bit of a balancing act. What saves us from falling is the commitment to passion, trust, and integrity in our chosen vocation.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does recruitment design impact business success?
  2. What impact does a successful hiring decision have on both the individual and the recruiter?
  3. What are some of the fundamental Human Resources practices that Erica Briody uses at a global level?
  4. When you think about your own career in Human Resources, what excites you the most?

Ethics & HR

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Allexxandar/Shutterstock

For Human Resources professionals in Ontario, our practices as members are regulated through the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). As posted on the HRPA website, ‘the overarching objective of HRPA’s regulatory function is to protect the public by ensuring that human resources professionals in Ontario are competent and act in an ethical manner’. [1]

Certified members of the HRPA in Ontario must abide by the ‘Rules of Professional Conduct’ which clearly articulate the ethical requirement for the profession in Chapter 3 of this document.

Click here to access the HRPA’s Rules of Professional Conduct.

In the wake of much-publicized employee and individual data breaches, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it seems that the need for ethical regulation is more critical for the profession than ever. We live and work in a world that is virtual. Our work-world is based in digital technology, which allows access to data that is linked to each one of us personally. In this technological environment, according to a recent publication, there are no ethical boundaries that frame or guide how our individual data can be stored, used, and manipulated by others in the workplace.

Click here to read the article.

While the Cambridge Analytica data breach and similar events have resulted in the introduction of increased privacy legislation in several countries, there remains an absence of ‘techno-ethics’ within the virtual workplace. Ethical conduct goes beyond simple compliance with laws and regulations. It speaks to a component of human behaviour that calls upon individual honesty, integrity, and personal accountability to care for our fellow human beings, and their personal data.

For the HR professional, our ethical responsibilities to the profession are in place. It is time to transfer these professional responsibilities into the virtual world to ensure that ethical conduct provides real protection for individuals and organizations alike.

Discussion Questions:

  1. As an HR practitioner, outline an ethics policy which focuses on the protection of employee data.
  2. What types of employee data should be protected? When and how should employee data be shared?
  3. How do you want your personal demographic data to be stored?
  4. What is the HR practitioner’s role when employee data protections are breached?

[1] https://www.hrpa.ca/professionalregulation_/Pages/Professional-Conduct.aspx

 

Expert Advice

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The past experience of others teaches us how to move forward in different ways.

Business man dressed as superhero
Source: eelnosiva/Shutterstock

Buzz Hargrove is one the most powerful and influential leaders in Canada’s labour movement.  His history and legacy of passion for the rights of Canadian workers is legendary, resulting in significant gains impacting all Canadians.  He is known for being challenging, forthright, and a dedicated union activist.  He lives his belief of challenging the status quo and for taking up the difficult stance to do what he believes is in the best interest of the union and the collective voice it represents.  He is seen by many as a controversial figure, but one who is respected for his incredible history of labour relations leadership in Canada.

Mr. Hargrove retired from active leadership of the Canadian Auto Workers union in 2008.

Click Here to Read the Article

Since that time, Mr. Hargrove has shared his extensive labour knowledge and leadership expertise as Professor of Distinction at the Ted Rogers School of Management with Ryerson University and co-director of its Centre for Labour Management Relations.

Mr. Hargrove provides us with some of his insight into the critical role that the Human Resources professional plays in today’s labour relations environment in this recent interview.

Click Here to View the Interview

As we see from this interview, Mr. Hargrove validates the importance of managing positive workplace labour and employee relationships by the Human Resources professional.  Our Human Resources role is to build organizational trust, credibility, and confidence.  If historical leaders like Mr. Hargrove are able to teach Human Resources professionals anything, it is that we should not be entrenching ourselves in hostility and negatively aggressive tactics when working with (not against) union representatives, no matter how challenging that may be from time to time.

As Mr. Hargrove says, with integrity, trust and a bit of a sense of humour, the Human Resources professional can make all the difference in the world!

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the key elements that Mr. Hargrove promotes for the HR professional in managing relationships?
  2. How have Canadian workers benefited from the labour movement?
  3. Using internet sources, provide three examples of Mr. Hargrove challenging the status quo or positions that resulted in labour relations controversy.
  4. As an HR professional, which skill identified by Mr. Hargrove (from the interview) is one that you may find the most challenging to develop and sustain?