The pressures that come with finding a job in today’s world are immense. Not only has the market struggled with the recent recession, but also, companies and organizations are increasingly coming under public scrutiny for controversial and unethical practices. For those of us looking for employment, it oftentimes feels impossible to find a job without compromising our own moral values.
Of course, there is nothing like first-hand experience to inform you of a company or organization’s values and ethical standards. However, most of us would rather avoid accepting a position only to find out that it undermines our personal belief system. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to assess a group’s moral compass before accepting a position with their organization. The following is a list of helpful tips and research strategies that will help you better understand an organization’s intentions and goals before you agree to become affiliated.
1. Read An Organization’s Mission Statement
A mission statement generally informs both the public and potential employees about an organization’s goals, and their means and methods for reaching those ends. If a company or organization does not include a mission statement on their website, you can likely find a similar resource under their “about us” page. Reading an organization’s mission statement not only helps you understand the contribution that it wishes to make to the world but also, its underlying beliefs about the best ways to accomplish those goals. If for example, you’re a leftist like me, you might be suspicious of an organization that claims to reduce poverty by decreasing taxes on the wealthy so they have more money left over to give to charities.
2. Read up on What An Organization’s Advocates are Saying
If you find yourself agreeing with an organization’s mission statement, the next step would be to read about what advocates of the organization are saying. Advocates usually have some sort of firsthand experience with an organization, whether that experience comes from former employment, volunteering hours, or familial connections. Oftentimes, advocates will write or talk about specific components of an organization that they find particularly original and compelling. You might be able to gain some unique perspective on an organization’s operation strategies and values by reading up on their advocates’ perspectives.
3. Read up on What an Organization’s Critics are Saying
It is equally, if not more, important to read about an organization’s critics when deciding whether their values agree with your personal belief system. Critics, unlike advocates, do not have any incentive to portray an organization in a positive light. Therefore, you might find some fair and honest critiques of organizational practices by reading up on critical discourse. For example, critics might espouse that, while a non-profit organization claims to aid feminist causes, it actually hires documented abusers and assaulters. It is important to look into these allegations when choosing a potential place of employment.
4. Look for Statistics on Impact
If, for example, an organization claims to equalize access to healthy food options for people of all economic backgrounds, check to see if they have numerical statistics that can back up their claims. Providing statistics not only shows that an organization is willing to be transparent but also, it can give you insight into the level of impact that a group is actually affecting. While an organization might seem great on paper, if statistics show that they are not helping, or even potentially harming, their purported cause, it might be best to look for employment elsewhere.
5. Read up on How an Organization Allocates its Funds
Allocations of funds can be very telling about an organization’s values. If an organization claims to be a non-profit educational organization while paying its lead organizer an inordinate sum of money, you should question how closely this group sticks to its stated values.
6. Read up on and Listen to Perspectives from Traditionally Oppressed Voices
If you only read up on a rich, white male perspective, you are getting an incomplete picture of an organization’s impact and values. Because these perspectives are often privileged in search engines and tend to show up near the top, you should actively seek out opinion pieces from women, femmes, people of color, disabled persons, queer persons, and other marginalized voices. These advocates and critics will give you a more holistic and nuanced picture of an organization’s effects. They will give you insight into how an organization benefits and/or discourages and harms those who are often afforded less of a voice in society.
While job searches are daunting, and this list is by no means exhaustive, hopefully, these tips can help you find work that lines up with your moral compass. It might not be an easy find, but it’s worth it in the end to work with integrity.