Most Professionals Won’t Work for a Controversial Company

Controversial companies beware.

Professionals are making employment decisions based on their values, ethics and morals and are increasingly more comfortable taking a stand, according to the professional social network Blind.

A verified Amazon professional recently asked, “Are there companies you would never work for?” on Blind, and nearly three out of five professionals (57%) of the 2,284 polled said there were companies they would not work for because of moral reasons.

“I don’t mind slaving away for capitalist interests, but I can’t support companies that essentially make money off of the suffering of ordinary people,” said AkdA87, the Amazon employee who posed the question.

The Amazon employee referenced Anduril Industries and Palantir, technology companies that count law enforcement agencies and the military among their clients. Facebook was also mentioned, as the social media platform hosts disturbing content, including “videos of hate crimes,” according to the Blind user AkdA87.

More than one in five professionals (21%) said they were willing to put aside their moral differences for compensation or if personal situations, such as a work visa or employment status, required it.

The same number of professionals (21%) polled on Blind said there were no companies out of bounds when they considered an ideal place of employment, adding if they did not do the job, someone else would.

Some professionals were more cynical than others.

“For every company, you can come up with reasons unless you work for a charity, missionary or non profit,” said sea:bay, a verified Facebook professional on Blind. “Even for non profits, there might be reasons. Please don’t kid yourself.”

15 of the most unpopular industries among professionals

The definition of a respectable industry has changed over time. But industries related to vice, including alcohol, pornography and tobacco, continue to have a poor employer brand and remain avoided by many.

Cannabis and gambling fare no better among potential job-searchers despite the recent steps toward legalization and normalization across the country.

Others judged industries for the perceived value they bring to society.

“Billions of dollars running on nothing that actually helps people. Content is helpful. Ads and the people who run it aren’t,” said EbcV45, a verified product professional at Internet Brands, an online media and e-commerce company whose brands include Nolo, WebMD and more.

Notably, recent current events help inform which industries are out of favor among the public.

A large number of professionals on Blind said they would never work at a social media company. Many workers called out Facebook in particular, likely a reaction to the social network’s recent spate of negative news coverage.

Here are the top 15 industries that professionals on Blind would never work for because of ethical or moral reasons listed in alphabetical order:

Advertising and public relations
Alcohol
Cannabis
Defense and military contractors
Financial services and banking
Firearms and ammunition
Gambling
Gig economy
Health insurance
Multi-level marketing businesses
Oil and gas
Pharmaceuticals
Pornography
Social media
Tobacco and e-cigarettes

The bottom line

Professionals are making employment decisions based on their values and sense of ethics, according to a recent Blind poll. Job seekers are rich with choice in today’s job market, but many say they are not willing to work at companies perceived as disreputable, immoral or otherwise controversial.

Methodology

In a user-created poll on Blind, 2,284 verified professionals responded to the question “Are there companies you would never work for?” between Oct. 21 to 27, 2021. Poll participants selected one of the following responses:

“Yes, there are companies I would not work for for moral reasons.”
“I have companies I would prefer not to work for for moral reasons, but if the pay was good enough or my situation (like visa) calls for it, I’d still work there.”
“No, as long as wlb [work-life balance] and $ [compensation] are good. If I don’t do the job someone else will.”