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?

I do wonder if the ethical workers have taken the time to check where their pension funds are invested? Because this will likely be those organisations main source of funding

Surely they'll be in ethical pension funds?

They might be. If they have autonomy over where their funds are invested and have proactively made the choice, of course… I have never had a pension that allows me to chose the investment profile

I would do anything for money and for my family! I would do unethical things that were legal.

I wouldn’t work in porn industry, for Reform or similar party, for most religious organisations, or anything to do with gender ideology.

Other industries named in this thread I’d consider. I’ve worked for some that are considered mildly unethical. Then again, most corporates are.

You lost me saying that defence is unethical. So as and when Putin decides to have a pop at us, you want us to fold our arms and do nothing?

I declined an offer once that would have been doubled my salary at the time, because I couldn't reconcile working for the industry. I shouldn't have gone for the job really, but hey ho, I did but had second thoughts so turned it down. Glad I did, I know I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.

That said, I struggle to think of an industry sector that doesn't have skeletons in its cupboard.

As someone who has been on the receiving end of bailiffs and debt collectors and the harshness of their behaviour, I would seriously consider doing anything that made you feel uncomfortable

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf".

George Orwell

Yes, this. Ethical pension funds (and green energy companies, and organic meat, and free trade clothing, etc all exist and that's a good thing. Demand is growing). but nobody should be preaching unless they really do do everything in their means to avoid unethical investments and purchases, including knowingly recieving lower returns and having significantly higher costs!

I work for a company that bills itself as being super ethical, organic, b corp, low emissions etc. I know for a fact there is a project underway to downsize packs to make more money which is known to be bad for the environment. It's not the same as big tobacco, actually that company is cleaning up some of the fields polluted by big tobacco, but all businesses are out to make profit and you'll always see something unethical along the way.

Absolutely not!

Most people I know do this as a matter of course (as well as having actively worked for careers in ethical areas, as in, actively campaigning, researching, in medicine, international aid, pastoral roles, teaching, etc.). It's the norm in my family and social circles.

What an incredibly unusual set of family and friends you have! It’s a bit odd they all have the same interests tbh

It is not weird to ensure your pension is ethically invested nor to pay more for energy because it's important it's renewable. It's basic decency.

They all have very different interests. Artists, scientists, teachers, therapists, an athlete, civil servants, gardeners...Christian, Jewish, muslim, atheist...
Just they mostly care very much about other people, animals, the world, and all want to do their bit to make the world a better place, if it's within their power.

It isn't unusual, I hope. I hope for all our sake's that the people who do not care about the impact of their actions on others are really not the norm!!

It’s not weird (that’s not the same context I used the word odd) but people who have actively invested in ethical pension funds are in the minority, yes.
The majority of people don’t know what their pension funds are invested in and how to change that should they wish to.

I would say it is to have careers focused on these passions (especially since obviously the vast majority of careers are not, so they’re working in niche areas) plus on a tiny minority of people are activists etc.

As long as the products they manufacture don't go towards war efforts and the killing of innocent civilians.

Surely to ensure that what you do with your life has an ethical, positive impact is what we'd all bring up our children to aim towards and what most people would see as a basic, though!

of course it’s not basic. How many “ethical” careers like yhe ones you describe are there? Isn’t it obvious 99.99999% of people don’t work at the world bank or the Red Cross and are just plugging away working for the nhs or the local authority or Barclays Bank or winkworth Sherwood’s or British Gas or carillon or etc etc?!

people thinking it’s basic to live an ethical life is a world away from actually shaping your career around it or participating in activism in the way you describe?
Having an entire friend and family group who all do that is obviously pretty unusual.

I would work in a a bingo hall, albeit with some reservations, as I think bingo is just a fun social night out for some people. I probably wouldn't work in a betting shop though.

Weapons manufacturer - no. I know we need weapons for defence, but I'd struggle with it.

Alcohol manufacturer/seller - probably not

Cigarette manufacturer - definitely not. I was once told that these companies tend to pay well as lots of people don't want to work for them and they don't look great on your CV. But the higher pay wouldn't tempt me.

That said, I have worked in clothing shops and warehouses and I doubt the conditions in the supplying factories were great.

Having said upthread that we earn much of our business from the defence industry, we repair and remanufacture (to pattern) the bits of battleships that run their engines and power control systems. Either we warm them up or we chill 'em down. Much of it is very technical and has to be precise.

No wonder the world's in such a bad state, then. However, it's still very basic in terms of ethics and it's a bad state of affairs if it's so very difficult not to do a job that does harm.

By the way, most people would consider working for the NHS to be one of the most ethical things you could do and many would see working for a local authority as a good job helping do their bit for society.