16

The morally decent

HR manager

Rob Macklin

Introduction

In this chapter, my aim is to help HR managers who wish to be decent and
who wish to defend ethical decision-making. In order to do this, I describe the
theory developed by the moral philosopher, Agnes Heller (especially 1987a,
1988, 1990, and 1996) and argue that her approach could be of use to HR
managers who wish to be decent people when fulfilling their roles.
The rationale behind this chapter can be traced back to my experiences as
a young HR officer and four events in particular. The first, a comment by
an IR manager: ‘the important thing is to have a good memory so that you
don’t contradict the lies you have told’. The second involved an interview for
a vacant position in a plant that the personnel manager, to whom I reported,
and I knew would probably soon close. At the end of his interview, the best
applicant asked about job security (he had been retrenched over a short period
of time from several positions). My manager answered that he could never
give guarantees but implied the job was secure. The applicant took the job
and was retrenched within a year. The third involved the ‘on the spot sacking’
of a supervisor by a senior manager after I complained that the supervisor
had nearly created an industrial dispute. The manager subsequently told me
the supervisor had an alcohol problem, thus, the sacking was necessary. The
fourth event involved a senior manager demanding that I only employ men
in production positions. I said this was illegal, he replied, ‘yes, but you will
nevertheless find a way to only employ men’.
Academic life has allowed me to reflect on my experiences and on whether
the ‘right’ thing was done in each case. My intuition told me that it is better
to tell the truth, that I should care for someone who has personal problems,
and that I should uphold the principle of equal opportunity. But, I was also
aware of claims that sometimes one has to make tough decisions, that the
interests of the company must be paramount, and efficiency and profitability
must be the dominant values. Since becoming an academic, I have asked HR
managers who were also my students whether they have had similar experi-
ences. Many had, and all acknowledged that HR management is an area where
ethical dilemmas are ubiquitous and where people often face difficult moral