Would you work for a company you consider unethical?

[SparkFinder]

I've spotted a job advert that would be perfect for me. I know someone who works for the company and they are a great employer by all accounts. But they are in an unethical industry. Imagine gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, defence, that kind of thing. There are people made miserable by how they make their money. But it could be great for me and my family. Would you work somewhere like that?

No, i really couldn’t

My instinctive answer is no.

My more thought out answer is no, assuming that I have a choice. If it was between that and being unemployed, no other job offers and that was what I needed to do to support my family, then yes as long as just against my morals and not illegal. But id be out as soon as possible.

I’d go for it if it would be good for you and your family. It will exist whether you have morals or not.

I work in utilities and they make people miserable and everyone hates them.

If I didn't have other options, yes. Otherwise, no.

I couldn’t but I absolutely recognise my privilege in being able to make that choice. ❤️

Defence is unethical?! I’d like my country to be defended.

anyway, back to the question. I wish I could be so choosy over jobs. Me declining a job or not applying for it doesn’t make the industry disappear so why should I not take the opportunity of asking applying for a job that’s perfect for me.

sounds like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

i wouldn’t consider defence unethical

i wouldn’t consider defence unethical

I worked for a company many years ago where one of the clients was a big tobacco multinational. However, another client was a multinational where some of the work was basically trying to work out how best to sell products to people in poverty who did not need them - that’s not how it was framed of course, but essentially that was what they were doing.
One of these is obviously more unethical than the other but neither are a force for good. Many companies are unethical if you think about it.
I left as I had another option, but with DC to feed in this current climate, should I lose my current job, I would take whatever was on offer as long as it was legal.

(edited to add - I would not work in anything to do with pornography or anything like that, though, I would draw the line there).

Yes, and I have done.

No I wouldn’t unless I had no alternative. I couldn’t find any sense of purpose in working in a company that was against my personal values and would be bloody miserable/do a crap job as a result.

I work for a consultancy currently and we turn down work for clients that are against our values (some in specific areas of defence actually), we’re fortunate that we are in a position that we can do this but, knowing the individuals involved, I think it’s highly unlikely they would compromise on this even if things were harder.

The defence industry is considered unethical because its actual profits are derived from the existence of war and creating and using killing machines. ‘Defence’ has nothing to actually do with passive defending but very neutral language to help you think it is…..

Yes I would.

I would. I think my “line” is pornography.

I run a small charity and we have applied for and received grants funded by gambling and at least one iffy gazillionaire - it allows me to do the work I do for the benefit of a lot of people.

I probably would depending upon the role. Lots of companies will have money invested in funds that may be unethical same for pensions.

I couldn't unless it was a stop gap and I would not have a job at all.

For me it depends on exactly what. Amazon could be argued as unethical but id work there. Tobacco I think I could do. Alcohol yes. But atomic weapons or some such - Im not so sure.

It really does depend. Some industries I couldn’t work in such as tobacco or animal testing there are others which I’d think are unethical but could such as gambling. It’s down to your own moral compass.

It’s down to your own moral compass.

Agree, eg I would work for Amazon, airline companies, banks, supermarkets, alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals but not pornography.

The company and the industry will continue to run regardless so if it came down to job or no job I’d do it to support my family.

You think defence is unethical?

Nobody is forced to buy cigarettes or alcohol.

And FYI. If you own a smartphone, a pair of jeans or wear virtually any high street clothes, you're complicit in child labour.

So I wouldn't get too worked up about ethics of your job.

Without the defence industry, you wouldn't have the luxury of being able to reply to this thread 🙄

It really depends on what the reason was for it being unethical. If it was something like pornography for example, I wouldn’t. But also what type of role. If I had no alternatives, I could probably do an admin type role. But if it was sales or other customer facing and I didn’t believe in the product, I wouldn’t do a good job.

Thank you for the thoughts. It's not pronography, that would be a line in the sand for me too. It's a head office type role and I'd be working towards helping the company expand and grow, or at least protect share, so needing more people to use the product. But it's a big company, in lots of pension funds, employs lots of people - it exists with or without me. I've always tried to do the right thing and I'm not sure it's always served me. I think I'm hitting my selfish era so that's why I'm thinking about this.

@SparkFinder just go for it. As a lone parent I’ve never worried about this, only how I best provide. Yes the line in the sand for me is anything that exploits women, commodifying them, but anything else is fair game.