By Sandra Agyeiwaa OTOO
President of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM), Florence Hutchful, has called on human resource (HR) professionals to uphold ethics, ensure workplace safety and adopt sustainable practices to support national growth.
She made these remarks during the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management (CIHRM) conference, a two-day event themed ‘Regulating HRM in Ghana: Standards, ethics and sustainability’.
“The importance of standards cannot be overstated in the journey toward professionalising any discipline. For the HR profession in particular, it is imperative that managers not only set but also lead in upholding highly ethical standards within their organisations,” she mentioned.
“I believe strongly that HR practitioners should not approach their work as a set of responsibilities, but rather, as a sacred calling; one that is dedicated to fostering employee engagement, promoting well-being and creating an enabling environment for organisational success,” she added.
The conference aims to examine the shifting landscape of HRM in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world; discuss the regulation of the human resource management profession in Ghana and provide actionable insights into developing and sustaining organisational excellence through effective HR strategy formulation and execution.
The conference also seeks to equip participants with an in-depth understanding of key areas, including talent management practices, HR governance and ethics, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of work.
Mrs. Hutchful highlighted concerns about punctuality, productivity and unethical behaviour, including harassment of female employees. She emphasised HR’s role in creating a culture where employees feel safe, valued and heard within organisations.
“During the council’s interactions with some ministers of state and senior government officials, credible concerns have come up around punctuality, productivity and some instances of unethical behaviour in some organisations, where some female employees are subjected to all forms of harassment and abuse,” she stated.
“It is important for HR Managers to cultivate a culture where every employee feels safe, valued and heard,” she added.
According to her, with growing concerns expressed around nepotism, favouritism and workplace abuse, embedding ethics into HR practice is crucial for promoting justice and dignity at work.
She also said sustainability is crucial for organisations, rooted in employers’ commitment to employees’ mental and physical well-being; and HR’s role is to create thriving, safe and supportive work environments.
“Sustainability, which has now become a buzzword, holds profound significance for organisations. At the core of organisational sustainability lies the commitment of employers to safeguard the mental and physical well-being of their employees. As HR professionals, we have a responsibility to build organizations that not only thrive but also provide safe, supportive and empowering environments for all employees,” she revealed.
She urged HR practitioners to uphold the institute’s standards with integrity and consistency, the surest way to professionalise HR, build sustainable organisations and enable employee and business growth.
