Human Resource Management 16th Edition by Sean Valentine,Patricia Meglich,Robert Mathis

Exercise 8

HR Ethics: HR Keeps Organization on Straight and Narrow
While most HR professionals are not trained as attorneys, there is a greater expectation that HR will serve a role as corporate conscience, helping the organization to avoid legal and ethical problems. Ensuring that compliance programs go beyond mandated requirements and reflect corporate values makes these programs more meaningful to employees and more sustainable. Unlike black-and-white legal compliance questions, ethical dilemmas are often more complex and rely on a philosophical approach rather than a compliance mindset. Having a code of conduct and ethics policy in place and consistently enforcing them are keys to setting a tone within the organization where employees are clear on how they should behave when working on the company's behalf.
-What would you recommend to an HR professional whose superior has asked him or her to comply with a request to act unethically?