View Poll Results: Do YOU regard your employer as ethical?

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  • Yup

    8 57.14%
  • Mostly

    3 21.43%
  • A bit

    0 0%
  • Nope ... they are evil

    2 14.29%
  • Don't know, Don't care

    1 7.14%
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Thread: Is your employer ethical?

  1. #1
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Is your employer ethical?

    There has been a fair amount of debate about ethics (or lack of) in the MJ scene, but I was wondering whether anyone really cares puts it into practice. People complain about exploitation of third world countries but buy products from businesses who’s ethical status is at very least dubious (Primark?). The biggest contribution you can make is where you spend your working day, but do you let ethics dictate who you work for?

    So, the question is, do you carry that ethics though to the people you work for?

  2. #2
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    My employer is the most ethical person I've ever worked for. You couldn't ask for a better employer really. In fact, it's me .

  3. #3
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    My employer is the most ethical person I've ever worked for. You couldn't ask for a better employer really. In fact, it's me .
    Glad to hear it. And of course that means that as a contractor (guess?) you wouldn't work for any unethical companies like the Big Financial Services companies?

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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus View Post
    Glad to hear it. And of course that means that as a contractor (guess?) you wouldn't work for any unethical companies like the Big Financial Services companies?
    errr, well the last piece of work for the current main client (as part of a bigger team) won an eGovernment award - The eGovernment award for Excellence: For sustainable 'Green IT' or 'Carbon efficient' services (ICT & eGovernment services which are helping the environment).
    Not to mention that the current client is working globally to improve the lives of less well-off people.

    I might refuse work for a known terrorist supporter, or a dictatorial foreign government; However, I am happy to take cash from another client who would be considered a "Big Financial Services company".

  5. #5
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus View Post
    you wouldn't work for any unethical companies like the Big Financial Services companies?
    Are ALL the "Big Financial Services companies" unethical? If that's the case we should consider not using money - that would take them by surprise

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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Are ALL the "Big Financial Services companies" unethical?
    Depends how you define Big? There certainly are Financial Services companies that claim to be ethical (Co-op for one).

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    If that's the case we should consider not using money - that would take them by surprise
    You're just after sexual favours in lieu of money for your dance classes aren't you?

  7. #7
    Commercial Operator Gus's Avatar
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Are ALL the "Big Financial Services companies" unethical? If that's the case we should consider not using money - that would take them by surprise
    Not all. As Gav said, the Co-op is 'ethical' though the BIG FIVE (or four?) are not going to be in that category ... and I can't think of any investment banks who would claim to be ethical either

  8. #8
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    You're just after sexual favours in lieu of money for your dance classes aren't you?
    The women will still have to pay cash

  9. #9
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Are ALL the "Big Financial Services companies" unethical? If that's the case we should consider not using money - that would take them by surprise
    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    You're just after sexual favours in lieu of money for your dance classes aren't you?
    Prostitution as the more moral alternative?

    One of the more interesting (and challenging) post-grad courses I did was on business ethics. I was left with the overriding impression that any reference to morality in business was usually a competitive device. That's not to say that people in business are all morally bankrupt and can only see things in terms of competition (quite the opposite - to use the co-op as an example, I suspect most of the people involved are very genuine in their convictions). But the co-op uses this as a competitive differentiator - one that's bought by at least one member of the general public. I'd be curious to know the substantive difference in their practices from their competition, the commercial cost of these different practices, and the commercial value associated with the goodwill generated from being perceived as different.

    One example that sticks in my mind is detergent companies that promoted themselves as never using animal testing. Instead, they acquired proven formulas that other people had tested on animals. To the best of my knowledge, this is common practice: you can't get approval for these sort of products without substantial animal testing being done on the formula.

    My employer is ethical, at least to some extent. And we work in a field that I consider to be good for society, which makes it that much nicer doing my work.

  10. #10
    The Dashing Moderator
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    I work in the public sector.
    Love dance, will travel

  11. #11
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    My employer is very ethical, they are so ethical we are given regular ethics training, my previous comapany (GE) worked with unyielding integrity, and a good job to or that $250,000,000 they shelled out after being investigated by the US govt could have been a whole lot worse

    After years of working for different US corperations, I put ethics, loyalty and any kind of solid financial sense as something that happens elseware

  12. #12
    Registered User emmylou25's Avatar
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    I think nowadays most companies in the FMCG industry have some sort of ethics policy / core compentencies that include Business Ethics as part of their company set up. At my previous and current company everyone had to sign a business ethics document to say they had read/understood the way the business & employees should work and act (whether people just sign it automatically is another thing of course). And most companies seem to have an environmental/ethics area being worked on even if the public aren't aware of it.

    Our company work with it's suppliers to help develop their crops & farming practices, paying them a fair price etc, effectively doing everything that a fairtrade company would do, but because the crop could be impacted by the weather we can't guarantee the price to them as we would need to transfer to other suppliers temporarily. We don't tell the world about what we do, even though the supermarkets would like us to, mainly because it seems a little false and that companies do it purely for marketing purposes. We also do lots of charity/community work (although again, pretty much all FMCG companies do the same as far as I'm aware).

    I wouldn't specifically choose a company because of it's business ethics, but I would exclude a company on the basic of reputation of how it treats its staff (I can think of 3 that wouldn't suit me as a person & the way I'd like to work). I would also not work for a tobacco company as I detest smoking, plus there's probably not much in my line of work left to do for anyone working at such a company.

    Anti-competitive behaviour etc is frowned upon and is investigated by the powers that be in FMCG, but it would be nice to see Tesco playing nicer to suppliers.
    Last edited by emmylou25; 27th-November-2009 at 02:34 PM. Reason: Additional point

  13. #13
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    I might refuse work for a known terrorist supporter, or a dictatorial foreign government


    You'd ghost write Osama Bin Laden's Autobiography if the money was right.

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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Double Trouble View Post


    You'd ghost write Osama Bin Laden's Autobiography if the money was right.
    I wouldn't work for your boss though!

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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    I wouldn't work for your boss though!
    Yes...he does make Osama look like a saint by comparison.

  16. #16
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    I once did a personality test on business aptitude. IT said: "You are very intelligent and very honest. Do not go into business. Your group has the biggest failure rate, bar none...."

    I was on the train to the official receiver at the time ....

    FWIW I saw a folder on his desk for a company I had made rich, definitely not ethical. Their owner had over-spent the ill-gotten gains buying a yacht, financing racing cars and such. High Road, Low road, same destination

  17. #17
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy McGregor View Post
    Are ALL the "Big Financial Services companies" unethical? If that's the case we should consider not using money - that would take them by surprise
    The old Barter System is used in some neighbourhood communities in London.



    ThIs is supposed to be the fag end of capitalism, and i think that's why some companies are getting more and more unethical - make hay while the sun shines sort of thing.

    There is a new trend now to clamp down on greed and to promote sharing.

    The govt has been cleaning up it's gravy train, and i hope the new regulators are given teeth for a change.

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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Astro View Post
    There is a new trend now to clamp down on greed and to promote sharing.
    Didn't they already try that in Russia?

    Quote Originally Posted by Astro View Post
    The govt has been cleaning up it's gravy train, and i hope the new regulators are given teeth for a change.


    A very small part of the corruption in government has been highlighted and may be changed for the better.
    Government departments/companies are rife with corruption. Millions of pounds of our money is being wasted on over-priced, over-extended contracts because:
    a. The contractor is a friend/partner of the budget holder/decision maker.
    b. The person responsible to is too busy to do anything about it.
    c. The person responsible is too comfortable/lazy to do anything about it.

  19. #19
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    a. The contractor is a friend/partner of the budget holder/decision maker.
    b. The person responsible to is too busy to do anything about it.
    c. The person responsible is too comfortable/lazy to do anything about it.
    I see examples of this every day in my job and it's usually the Government Departments that I deal with that are the worst offenders.

    I'd say i see mostly c's, followed by a's then b's.

  20. #20
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    Re: Is your employer ethical?

    Quote Originally Posted by Double Trouble View Post
    I see examples of this every day in my job and it's usually the Government Departments that I deal with that are the worst offenders.
    I am a public employee (NHS), dictated to by the government, they can be ethical or equally ruthless when it suits, that’s life I guess

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