How do ethics/morality factor into your career choice?

[midjd]

This is still hypothetical, but DH's boss is in talks to buy a Buy Here, Pay Here car lot. If he did, he plans to give DH the opportunity to run their service/parts dept. Right now, DH is the #2 service/parts manager at the manufacturer dealership, so it would be a significant bump in responsibility and pay.

When DH first told me this, I thought he was joking... he is honest to a fault (which occasionally gives him trouble in his current job) and is the last person you'd think of to work at a BHPH lot. But he's actually excited about it. (Personally I think if anyone is dumb/naive enough to buy a 10yo car at a 20% interest rate, they deserve whatever happens, but I can see how some people may be taken advantage of simply because they have no other options).

Then I thought about our poor daughter having to tell people her mom is a government lawyer and her dad runs a shady used car lot...LOL.

Are there jobs you wouldn't take for moral/ethical reasons? Or does anything legal = fair game?

[Deleted]

If it is legal and it pays, no job is beneath me.

And I am dead serious; that is the way I was raised.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

It has nothing to do with being 'beneath me', but there are some industries that I wouldnt feel comfortable participating in for reasons of personal beliefs.

I was nervous when I considered doing some part-time work doing taxes because I didn't want to feel like I was pressured to do unethical stuff. I found a great place that's very ethical and honest, but it's definitely something I had to consider in the decision.

[Deleted]

I read your title much differently.  I am a teacher.  If I ignore ethics/morality, I am toast.

Maybe I chose this profession for that factor.  Maybe I didn't.  But I have not purchased alcohol when I have noticed one of my students in the convenience store.  I won't buy alcohol in the local grocery store.  There is the good role model part.  It does matter. 

It isn't that alcohol is immoral, but the abuse of it probably violates the ethics clause in my contract. 

I am actually looking forward to the "Nobody's Looking" aspect of retirement. 

[Deleted]

I don't think there is such a thing as an unethical job, just doing a job unethically. I can't lie and cheat people. I'm too paranoid. On the other hand, if I was very clear about the car being 10 years old and the interest rate being 20% and someone still chose to buy I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

[swamp]

I'm a lawyer, so apparently, I don't. 

[grits]

I had the opportunity to go from regular worker to high management level in one shot. My superiors would have required me to mistreat people, and do what I consider to be unethical. I am still a regular worker. I have to live with myself, and that is more important than the extra money.

[doxieluvr]

I could never take advantage of someone. I use to work for a company that sold a household appliance at a huge markup. I could never hide that you could buy it at a local supplier for $400 instead of our $4000. I just can't be that dishonest and shady. I always want to help people, not screw them over.

[Miss Tequila]

Unless a person has an actual cognitive disability, they are solely responsible for making an informed decision. Years ago I looked into opening up one of those pay day loan type places...if you are dumb enough to sign up for it, I will gladly take your money! Obviously I decided against it but not for ethical reasons.

[midjd]

Jan 26, 2014 20:35:50 GMT -5 doxieluvr said:

I could never take advantage of someone. I use to work for a company that sold a household appliance at a huge markup. I could never hide that you could buy it at a local supplier for $400 instead of our $4000. I just can't be that dishonest and shady. I always want to help people, not screw them over.

See though, that's a distinction with which I'm not sure I agree. There are some things I think we can all agree are dishonest - blatantly lying, misrepresenting, etc. - but is it a retailer or service professional's ethical duty to volunteer info? (E.g. to tell them they could get something cheaper elsewhere?)

My job involves informed consent - in order to make a decision, my client has to know the facts, and the outcomes of different options - but I'm not sure that applies to every field.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2014 20:23:32 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

I don't think there is such a thing as an unethical job, just doing a job unethically. I can't lie and cheat people. I'm too paranoid. On the other hand, if I was very clear about the car being 10 years old and the interest rate being 20% and someone still chose to buy I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Basically this!!!!

I gladly sell cigarettes, lottery tickets and alcohol. Everyone is old enough to know the consequences and chose to purchase them; I will gladly ring you up and take your money.

[Deleted]

Where's SHOTCALLER when we need him to chime in on a subject. 

[Deleted]

I wouldn't sell illegal drug or be a pimp. I would love to be a gigallo though. 

[grits]

Jan 26, 2014 20:49:04 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

I wouldn't sell illegal drug or be a pimp. I would love to be a gigallo though. 

Your wife would Bobbitt you.

[sarcasticgirl]

I probably wouldn't be a prostitute...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using proboards

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2014 21:33:01 GMT -5 @tbird said:

There are loads of legal things I consider to be at least of questionable ethics, if not completely dreadful.

There are illegal things I don't consider to be morally wrong.

Using the letter of the law to determine morality isn't very effective, imo.

I would need examples of legal jobs that are inherently unethical. 

[Cookies Galore]

I work in professional licensure examination and certification. Ethical is our middle name! It's probably also why I don't make one million bajillion dollars.

[midjd]

Jan 26, 2014 21:43:54 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Jan 26, 2014 21:33:01 GMT -5 @tbird said:

There are loads of legal things I consider to be at least of questionable ethics, if not completely dreadful.

There are illegal things I don't consider to be morally wrong.

Using the letter of the law to determine morality isn't very effective, imo.

I would need examples of legal jobs that are inherently unethical. 

Cigarette marketing? (At least when they were blatantly marketing to kids)

Lobbyist?

[spartan7886]

I would change industries (and take most likely a 50% pay cut) before I would work for some of my competitors. Working at a job in which you screw people out of money? Not my preference, but I'd do it. I draw the line at sending people out to work with insufficient safety equipment and procedures. I'm looking at you BP (and SM Energy and Chesapeake and quite a few others most people have never heard of).

[bean29]

I think that places that sell cars that are 10 years old and check cashing places are wrong b/c they offer a temporary bad solution to people that are in desperate situations. I think they usually know it is a bad choice but they take it anyway.

I do think we have a moral obligation to protect desperate people from making bad choices that allow unethical people to profit excessively.

[Miss Tequila]

Jan 26, 2014 23:00:12 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I think that places that sell cars that are 10 years old and check cashing places are wrong b/c they offer a temporary bad solution to people that are in desperate situations. I think they usually know it is a bad choice but they take it anyway.

I do think we have a moral obligation to protect desperate people from making bad choices that allow unethical people to profit excessively.

I have no such moral obligation. I have no issues making money off those who out themselves in a difficult situation .

[Shooby]

I would have to feel I am providing an honest service. And I have to believe in my job somewhat. For instance I think it would be very hard for me to be a salesperson for a product I don't believe in.

[mmhmm]

Ethics were critical to my profession.  I couldn't work a position I felt required unethical behavior, no matter how much money was offered.

[zibazinski]

I, also, taught school and was very careful about my public image. Very few people even knew I was going through a divorce until I needed a day off in September to go to hearing. My dept head was all up my butt over it so I told him. Which made him back off. Then I told my principal as well. That was it as far as I told. But it sure made a surprise when I showed up at holiday party with someone who wasn't my husband!

[bookkeeper]

What about working a job that is fine with coworkers who disregard any personal ethics. I left my last job after my boss had taken rifle shots at kids stealing gas, slept around on his wife, tried to screw employees out of wages earned, and other unseemly activities.

I really liked the job, but after a while I couldn't work with this man any more.  Our standards were way too far apart.  You can't leave work disgusted every day and still like your job.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2014 23:00:12 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I think that places that sell cars that are 10 years old and check cashing places are wrong b/c they offer a temporary bad solution to people that are in desperate situations. I think they usually know it is a bad choice but they take it anyway.

I do think we have a moral obligation to protect desperate people from making bad choices that allow unethical people to profit excessively.

every kind of car dealership is needed

from the new car dealers, to the bhph (buy here, pay here) lots 

there are thousands of people in every city who cannot get financed on a car note, PERIOD!

that is where bhph lots come in.....they sell very high mileage cars, with weekly or biweekly payments, and offer a chance that no one else can supply

you pay through the nose....both in the price of the car, and in the interest charged

almost every dealer has everyone of their cars hooked up with gps devices.....7 days late.....car repoed

most of the people using these services have exhausted their second chance financing opportunities.....i have personally seen 4-5 repoes on one credit report

and these are not the type of people to save up enough money to outright buy their junkers.....

i dont like these businesses.....they add to an already bad reputation the car business has......

but they wouldnt exist if consumers didnt need and want them......

[sesfw]

I was offered a tech job for repairing 'adult entertainment' machines that I turned down. I couldn't stand the thought of being around that stuff all day, every day.

Otherwise all jobs I have applied for and gotten have been on the up-n-up as far as I was concerned.

[HoneyBBQ]

I work in medicine. We definitely have an ethical line that is drawn and we must be aware of.

[Phoenix84]

I suppose some of it would depend on how desperate I was for money/job.  I would consider less sleezy jobs that paid less over more sleezy jobs that could pay more, assuming that the less sleezy job could pay the bills.

But in general, I can say I would choose a non sleezy "honest job" over a "not honest job" if I had a choice.  But at the end of the day, I need a job, so I would take one if I had to until I could find something better. 

What's a "buy here, pay here" car lot?  How do they exploit people?  I'm not that familiar with car buying practices.  Is that basically a used car lot?

[alabamagal]

I would be ok working for a business as long as it is legal.  The buy-here-pay-here places charge outrageious rates, but for people who need a ride and have no credit, what else are they to do?  The city I live in is very poor, and they are all over the place.  There are places where there is a title loan place on every corner. 

Convenience stores here make a lot of money of lottery tickets, cigarettes and beer.  I often buy my beer there because they have the best prices, you just have to wait in  line behind everyone buying lottery tickets. 

I wouldn't have any problem with a job like that as long has he being honest in what he does, evaluate cars, fix them, etc.  It could also be a stepping stone to a better job in a "real" dealership.

BTW, the company I work for does research for a large cigarette manufacturer.  They are our 3rd largest customer.