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?

Do your research on the industry and the company. There are ethical players in “unethical” industries.

Yes and some people might consider what I do unethical but it pays very well, I have fantastic benefits and it's better than being unemployed. So I'm happy 😊

Can you afford the choice? I don't care what you decide.

So you have never ventured into the brave zone? Someone, obviously not you, needs to start a business selling something so that it can pay the tax that funds you. Someone, somewhere needs to make profit on a deal to earn a living, buying or selling or tarting up something, so they can pay the income tax that funds the public sector. I know the work is important, but your holier-than-thou approach is wildly naive. If I don't make a profit and pay tax on it, there is NO money to fund the NHS or education or anything else. Businesses make the money that make public services possible.

No, I'd not feel comfortable given a choice. I'd seek out alternative employment but if I had a family to feed and it was the only employer close to me I might do it in the short term until I could find something else.

The 'virtuous' mindset of the public sector devotee is surely intended to frustrate anyone in business. No wonder the economy is f*cked.

Oh no I need a trigger warning for this post! I once had a couple of glasses of wine and told a now former friend's husband that the company he worked for was morally reprehensible. Big tobacco company= total bastards.

@Marylou2 Morally reprehensible or not, DH and I pay a lot of tax on the back of owning an SME that works primarily in the defence industry. Would you prefer that we vanish out of existence because we're nasty or should we keeping working to pay the tax?

I would. Companies like this are usually heavily regulated, pay tax and have heavyweight CSR programmes. It’s also individual choice to gamble, smoke, whatever and it’s not illegal.

No. I wouldn't and i didn't.

There’s probably some industries I wouldn’t work in but if you own a phone or all sorts of products then there’s plenty of arguments to be made those industries are immoral too so…

Depends on what it is. British American Tobacco, no thanks.
BAE - that would be ok, I don’t think defence companies are unethical, any worse than the army or navy.

Alcohol unethical? The bottle of delicious red wine I’m currently enjoying isn’t ‘unethical’. It is one of life’s pleasures, and alcoholic beverages are an integral part of Europe’s history & culture.

Defence unethical? Ask a Ukrainian if defending their country from invasion, conquest & subjugation is ‘unethical”. You might get a very blunt response.

I grew up near Nottingham. For decades John Player (later Imperial Tobacco) was a major employer in the city, manufacturing thousands of packs of cigarettes every day. Hundreds of ordinary working class people were employed there. Those people grafted to support their families & they didn’t have the luxury of choosing to work for a more ‘ethical’ employer.

Perhaps you might wish to reflect on both your definition of ‘unethical’ and your position of sanctimonious privilege, OP. If you are in a position to be choosy about which sort of businesses you will work for, good for you. Life must be smug & comfortable up on the moral high ground, But please try to understand & recognise that not everyone is as fortunate.

Animal research is the backbone of modern medicine

Even charities can be unethical - bloated fat cat C suite salaries, Oxfam staff engaging prostitutes in Haiti etc. I expect those who work in council housing and social care are encouraged to push people way in order to meet targets / ease demand. There are very few truly noble, altruistic causes.

I have BTLs, considered unethical.

I work in corporate law, not known for altruism.

My ETFs are no doubt invested in things like alcohol, tobacco, munitions.

I'm financially secure. I'm a kind, friendly and happy person overall. I do right by people and I take care of my friends and family. I have no time for people's perceptions of me, I'm doing nothing illegal.

Take the job that you'll enjoy most pays you the most and suits your work / life balance.

I wouldn't work in a betting shop, because I expect the clientele can be drunk / rowdy at times. It would make me, personally, sad to see people of no particular great means come in daily and fritter away £20 they can I'll afford. But gambling is legal and I don't for a second begrudge the people working there their livelihoods.

The people behind the counter might think some of the big pharma companies my firm represents are scum. They're entitled to that view, but I hope they don't begrudge me personally working on their cases.

We are all just cogs in machines!

I have worked in hospitality which makes its money partly from alcohol, and saw nothing wrong in that. Most of us enjoy a glass or two at some point. And defence is ok (attack is not).

But I've worked for two companies where their attitude towards their customers was appalling. Ethics and customer service were non-existent and in each case, I couldn't wait to leave.

So give it a go and see how you feel.

I turned down a peach of a job with a well-known tobacco manufacturer in the 90s. Never regretted it.

Wow you're weirdly angry. Did you read past my first sentence? I literally said I understand not everyone can take this stance.

I'm 40 years old and have only worked in the public or third sector yet the private sector remains, so I think it's doing just fime without me.

Where did I say I find the defence industry to be an issue? I definitely don't. I was commenting on Tobacco.

I've worked in sales before, because they were the only jobs I could work in at the time... BT, a stem cell company, cancer research (cancer research was diabolical) I naively wandered into them, then realised how unethical they are. I stayed because I needed the money. Now if I could avoid any kind of sales job I would, it's a really awful line of work, yet most companies have a sales department.

How would we know; we don't know what you're up to? The fact you pay tax isn't really relevant when looking at the ethics. Making bolts to go in planes sold to democratic regimes? Or consultants lobbying against rules around gassing civilians? Working primarily in defence could be anything.

I'm pretty sure it'll be nearer the former btw just making a general point that "we pay a lot of tax" doesn't mean you're necessarily a force for good.

Surely someone who manufacturers weapons (for example) has no idea who they are eventually sold to? They make them for the British government

Is there a rule against selling directly to customers? Genuinely no idea but it doesn't sound right. Surely companies are free to sell to customers in other countries? May be wrong there.

A defence company is not going to directly negotiate with foreign governments to sell arms.

the British government control arms sales. Otherwise you could have a company selling weapons to say Russia which the government a) don’t want to share the technology with the Russians and b) might be used against the British - can you imagine?!

Yes to working for defence. I don’t have a problem with them at all.

No to cigarettes or gambling. Used to have a supporting role to something in that industry and it made me feel tarnished. There’s nothing good about them.

Maybe to alcohol. Maybe to confectionery/sweets.