THE INDEPENDENT (UK): How ethical is that job?: "Take a company such as Shell. The Brent Spar fiasco [in which Shell was forced to back down from dumping an oil storage platform at sea] made a major dent in its reputation. Such companies realise that reputation rather than share price is what will attract the brightest talent." (ShellNews.net) 24 March 05
It could be more effective to work for change inside a corporation than to settle for a feel-good position in a charity. Ethics and work are a complex mix, says Clare Hargreaves
24 March 2005
Imagine you've campaigned for years for rights and pay for garment workers in the developing world. A major clothes retailer, which has been linked to exploitative labour practices, headhunts you to work for its new Corporate Social Responsibility Unit and offers you a secure well-paid job. Do you say yes?
Anyone seeking an ethical career will face such dilemmas. They prompt the question of whether it's better to change a company from within or to remain ethically "pure" and shout from the sidelines. How much do we really know about a company's ethics, for example, how it treats its foreign suppliers and invests its money?
There are other conundrums. How do you define ethical? Does it refer to a company's human (or animal) rights record, its environmental behaviour, or both? Just because a company has a policy on corporate social responsibility is this any more than greenwash? Are small companies, such as charities, necessarily more ethical than multinational corporations?
However confusing the picture, ethics is playing a growing part in deciding not only what we buy, eat and wear, but also for whom we work. The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2004, carried out by High Fliers Research, found that 85 per cent of finalists rated social responsibility as "very or quite important" when deciding which companies to apply to, with 78 per cent wanting to join an employer that was environmentally responsible. According to the 2004 UK Universum Graduate Survey, a third of graduates count contributing to society among their top career goals.
"We have a young generation who genuinely care about the planet and justice, and who want to do something that can make a positive difference. They're not interested in simply making money," says Paul Canal, managing director of Charity People. He says his company's website, which advertises jobs in the voluntary sector, has seen its traffic double in the past 18 months.
"People are saying to themselves: 'I don't want to work for a bank or a company that makes Hawk fighter jets which will end up in Indonesia. I want to work for a company that changes the world in some small way'," says Canal.
Tobias Webb, founder and editor of Ethical Corporation magazine and www.ethicalcorp.com, believes the attitudes of both employees and employers have changed. "There's been a sea change in the way people look at potential employers. People are seeking organisations whose values are in some way aligned to their own," he says. "Take a company such as Shell. The Brent Spar fiasco [in which Shell was forced to back down from dumping an oil storage platform at sea] made a major dent in its reputation. Such companies realise that reputation rather than share price is what will attract the brightest talent."
If you're about to start investigating the ethical credentials of a company you're thinking of working for, the task is both easier and harder than ever before. There is a daunting number of organisations that measure companies' social, human rights and environmental records, from the Ethical Investment Research Service to the ethical stock market index, FTSE4Good, to Corpwatch, Corporatewatch and Schnews.
Unfortunately, they don't always agree. If you want the definitive list of which companies to work for and which not to work for, you won't find it. But you will find some pointers. Ultimately, only you can make the decision as to which ethical priorities top your list and what your personal no-nos are - whether it's testing on animals, felling the Amazon rainforest or working with (or investing in) oppressive regimes. Only you can decide whether working for a non-profit-making charity or a profit-driven multinational is right for you.
Gideon Burrows, author of JustWork: The Ethical Careers Guide, to be published later this month, believes that with the mass of information available, it's up to individuals to do their own homework before applying for a job: "It is more ethical to work in the corporate social responsibility department of a multinational, after spending weeks reading up on it and weighing up the options, than blindly pursuing a job in a children's charity because the work gives you a nice warm feeling."
The best way to do your research is to look sector by sector and find out who the good and bad guys are. Oil companies are probably the most controversial. But between the companies there are vast differences: all reputable indices rate Shell and BP far higher in terms of social and environmental responsibility and human rights than Esso/ExxonMobil. Unlike BP and Shell, which both invest in renewable energy, Esso/ExxonMobil does not. An important contributor to Bush's election campaigns, the company was also instrumental in prompting the president to pull out of the Kyoto protocol.
"The most ethical careers are the ones where you use the interview to challenge the organisation you're considering working for," says Burrows. "If you're too worried to ask these questions at the interview, then wait until the job offer before you grill them. But do grill them."
Companies are ready to be grilled. Ninety-eight of the FTSE 100 companies issue some statement about their environmental and social policies. You can read the reports on websites such as www.corporateregister.com. But you'll need to dig deeper to find out whether a company actually walks their talk.
Many companies boast an environmental policy, but does that just mean some of the paper is recycled or does recycling extend to other areas of waste? Do they strive towards being carbon neutral? Do they measure their emissions? Find out how they invest their money: do they have shares in the arms business? Do they encourage staff to do voluntary work?
One of the corporate leaders in this area is the accountancy firm KPMG which has been running a corporate social responsibility programme for the past 10 years and has notched up 14 major national and international awards. "We think there's a strong moral and business case for acting in a socially responsible way. Responsible businesses tend to be more flexible, more progressive and more responsive to the needs of their people, clients and the local communities in which they operate," says a spokeswoman.
KPMG offers staff 3.5 hours paid leave every month to do voluntary work, such as helping children to read. Other companies, such as Shell, PwC, Accenture and McKinsey, offer staff the chance to volunteer abroad for six to nine months in partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas.
If you're more interested in working for smaller, non-profit bodies, obvious areas to look are charities, and human rights and environmental organisations. JustWork: The Ethical Careers Guide lists some less obvious areas, such as housing, environmental architecture, zoo inspecting, fair-trade clothing and foods, and science. If you're interested in the non-profit sector, it will be displaying its wares and recruiting on 14 to 15 October at the Design Centre, London (register on www.forum3.co.uk).
Ethical checker websites:
www.bitc.org.uk; www.ethicalcorp.com; www.corporatecritic.org;
www.ftse.com/ftse4good; www.corporatewatch.org.uk;
www.corporateregister.com; www.uksif.org; www.corpwatch.org.
Other useful websites:
www.ethicalcareers.org; www.charityjobs.org; www.environmentjob.co.uk;
www.thirdsector.co.uk; www.charitypeople.com; www.sgr.org.uk (Scientists for Global Responsibility); www.jobsincharities.co.uk; www.eiris.org.uk.
'JustWork: The Ethical Careers Guide' is out on Monday, priced £4.95
http://jobs.independent.co.uk/careers/story.jsp?story=623015
Click here for ShellNews.net HOME PAGE