I was extremely concerned by the recent revelation that a consultancy has been operating a “blacklist” of construction workers – in clear contravention of data protection laws. This kind of revelation is damaging for our profession. We must be seen to uphold the highest standards of people management in our organisations. This case does not meet those standards.

Quite apart from the law breaking, the affair raises some important ethical questions. The whole issue of ethics and our profession’s role in upholding them is one that has troubled me for some time, and particularly since I took up my role at the CIPD.