The recruitment industry is an ever-evolving sphere in the cooperate world influenced by frequent changes in technology and dynamic demands in the job market. Firms and organizations seeking the competitive edge to meet their goals and stakeholders’ needs have led to increased pressure for recruiters to find the best suited candidates for positions to be filled. On the other hand, the ever-growing multitudes of candidates seeking different job positions have only added to the complexity of the demand for services of recruiters. These factors have led to the discussion on the concept of ethics in the roles of recruiters in the cooperate world. Apart from finding appropriate talents for firms and placing candidates in suitable job positions, recruiters also have to meet their own sales targets and accomplishments. To balance all these three roles, it has been argued in cooperate spheres that an appropriate standardized ethical code is needed to guide and regulate the operations of recruiters.
Recruiters are practically sales people who have to meet their own targets to survive and thrive in their completive industry. Due to this notion there has been a series of ethical misconduct that has been associated with the practice. The most common malpractice that recruiters have been accused of is misuse of information for candidates seeking position. Protecting of candidate’s private information has been a thin line for recruiters since the clients have the right to know all relevant information about the candidates including criminal records, but the candidates also need to be protected against any damaging information that is not related to the position. Maintaining this balance requires high degree of confidentiality and integrity on the part of the recruiters.
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Another ethical negative reputation that is often attributed with recruiters is lack of full disclosure to their clients when conflict of interests arises. Some recruiters have had a history of soliciting candidates from rival companies with promises of better deals. Other in attempt to lure a high-quality candidate have deceitful withheld key information from them about the positions they would hold. This lack of transparency has been a major setback in the recruitment industry and a factor that has led to widespread discussion about existence of an ethical framework to guide operations of recruiters. Discrimination and bias of candidates during the hiring process is however the most damaging ethical malpractice associated with recruiters (Ross, 2014).
It has often been argued that the same way there are standardized code of ethics for sales people, it is no necessary to have one for recruiters. Supporters of this belief point out that recruiters with history of bad reputation and unethical conducts will go out of business and lose to their competitors. It is also noted that there are labor laws that regulate how recruiters conduct themselves which ensure issues of discrimination and bias are limited. Those who are against code of ethics for recruiters make the argument that the existence of these state labor laws is sufficient for creating an environment of nondiscrimination, equality and diversity which are the central ethical themes facing recruitment practice. Though obvious show of discrimination is easy to identify and act on, it is difficult to prove and control subconscious bias and stereotypes that may present themselves in the hiring process (Roberts, 2016). Other ethical issues like integrity and confidentiality can be regulated by compliance with state laws and handled using legal channels when breeched. All these points make the central argument that ethical standards are unnecessary for recruiters.
Proponents of establishing standard code of ethics for recruiters argue that the critical role that recruiter play in the society and lives of individuals necessitates existence of such codes. It is noted that reliance on principles of free market to deal with recruiters who use unethical means in their practices is irresponsible and inconsiderate. Also, crafty recruiters may find ways to carefully circumvent the labor laws in their trade while being involved in unethical practices. These argument points out that state labor laws are not sufficient in preventing recruiters from engaging in unethical practice. Compliance with state labor laws about disclosure of information is not similar to upholding integrity which is wider in scope and abstract in definition and ought to be a core mandate of all business processes including recruitment (Boekhorst, 2015). Similarly, unconscious discrimination and bias in selection may be difficult to define making laws unsuitable as the only guiding framework for ethical related issues. These arguments are what make the key statement that there needs to be a developed ethical framework that intentionally aims to achieve and maintain principles ethics in the recruitment practice.
In conclusion, the discussion of establishment of a code of ethics for recruiters has taken center stage in recent times. Though the two sides of the narrative present reasonable and concrete points, it is evident that the argument in support of the need for such codes carries more weight on the matter. Observation of trends in recruitment firms also suggests that a standard ethical framework in the hiring practice will become tradition in the near future. This will be a very positive development given the complexity of recruitment as a practice and how it continues to play a significant role in the lives of individuals and organizations. The overflow of literature on the matter should lead to development of appropriate theories that should be used to formulate a code of ethics to be practiced by all recruiters whether in house or agency. These will be beneficial to both parties of the hiring process, the client and the candidates. The clients will get the advantage of receiving the best possible talent to meet their needs while the candidates will be protected from all abuse and harm.
References
Boekhorst, J. A. (2014). The Role of Authentic Leadership in Fostering Workplace Inclusion: A Social Information Processing Perspective. Human Resource Management , 54 (2), 241–264. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21669
Roberts, J. L. (2015). Rethinking Employment Discrimination Harms. Indiana Law Journal , 91 (2) , 393-454. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2263564.
Ross, H. J. (2015). Everyday bias: identifying and navigating unconscious judgments in our daily lives. Choice Reviews Online , 52 (06). https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.188102
