2. HR must ensure that the leadership selection and development processes include an ethics component. After all, leaders at all levels of the organization need to both model
ethical behavior and communicate ethical standards to employees. Selection procedures must filter out people who, despite making their numbers, are known for cutting ethical corners. Leadership development should include not only ethics theory but also real-life examples, perhaps from mentors, on how managers have handled ethical dilemmas
in the past. Among the most difficult aspects of this may be convincing top management, perhaps including board members, that they too should receive ethics training. Promoting
gender diversity among top leadership might also have a positive impact on ethics.
3. HR is responsible for ensuring that the right programs andpolicies are in place. HR professionals should, of course, be aware of legal guidelines and how they are evolving.
4. HR must be aware of ethics issues. This does not mean justfollowing legislation, which tends to be reactive rather than proactive. It means looking at the entire social and business environment and spotting conflicts of interest and other ethics problems before they develop into full-blown scandals. A combination of tools can help with this. Obviously, employers need to pay close attention to the questions and concerns that are flagged via employee hotline services. Surveys or focus groups may also helpful in spotting potential ethical conflicts in the workplace. To gauge what is happening outside the company, HR can turn to environmental scanning techniques to imagine how new trends could result in large
problems down the road (Vickers, 2005).