By putting an emphasis on human benefits for employees in the business to make sure that every member of staff feels included, valued, and treated fairly, ethical people practices are one of the engines that drive a company’s success. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies five motivating factors that are at work (Arnold& Bowie, 2019). The idea of needs states that these underlying factors motivate people to act. Self-actualization, psychology, self-esteem, social, and safety are among the internal considerations (Arnold& Bowie, 2019). Ethical behaviour satisfies these requirements, hence serves as a motivating factor. For instance, ethical people practices ensure that staff members are given a pleasant working atmosphere and that they work for an appropriate number of hours each week with consideration to psychological needs. In terms of safety, moral business conduct ensures that workers are secure in the workplace. The social needs of employees are met by ethical people practices, which allowing everyone to interact freely with one another without worrying about being rejected or treated unfairly because of their opinions, age, gender, status, religion, or race (Arnold& Bowie, 2019). Ethical HR management procedure ensure that every employee is treated with respect, feels valued, and is included, maintaining the organisation’s reputation. Finally, in terms of self-actualization, ethical human resource management methods guarantee that the company assists employees in becoming their best selves by presenting possibilities for advancement. When all of these requirements are met, employees are motivated to continue working hard for the company and are inspired to reach both their own and the organisation’s goals. The hazards of unethical behaviour inside a business are decreased by ethical behaviour, which also boosts employee morale (Arnold& Bowie, 2019). The adoption of ethical values at a macro level has thus been shown to enhance both financial success and interactions with clients. An organisation’s reputation is based on the calibre of its goods and services, as well as how it engages with its most significant stakeholders and how much it promotes a sense of accountability and transparency (CIPD, 2019). In addition to being a good insurance policy, ethical behaviour gives a firm a competitive advantage in the present market.

Another theory that considers motivation is Herzberg’s theory that has two dimensions which include ‘hygiene’ and ‘motivators’. According to Herzberg, applying these two in an organisation can decrease employee dissatisfaction. For instance providing employees with salaries and proper supervision help avoid employee dissatisfaction while motivators such as rewards and recognition keep the employees motivates and enthusiastic to accomplish their tasks. When it comes to rewards and recognitions applying ethical values can ensure that employees feel satisfied and feel rewarded accordingly. For instance if an employee has been working tirelessly to meet and even surpass their goals and a chance for promotion presents itself. Preparing this employee to take up more responsibilities through coaching and mentorship and offering to pay fees for further training and development will further motivate this employee to be more loyal and increase their productivity. However if such an opportunity presents itself without the employee being considered for the role then he/she may feel demotivated which may result in a decrease in motivation. Additionally, ensuring that organisations follow laws such as paying a fair and liveable wage to each employee meets their ‘hygiene’ needs as per the Herzberg theory. This ensures that employees can meet their individual needs such as food, shelter and other basic needs with the salary they receive. This motivates them to remain within the organisation and helps the organisation prevent direct an indirect costs that they may incur from high turnover rates.