Graduating with ethics

According to a new survey released on January 31, more than three quarters (79%) of today’s graduates would not work for a company that has a poor ethical record, and over half (56%) believe it is possible to still be selective about a potential employers’ ethical record when the economy is under pressure.

Half (51%) of the graduates surveyed would take an ideal job over a higher paying job despite the fact that they have student debts to pay off.

The survey of almost 700 students and graduates, carried out through nusonline.co.uk (the website of the National Union of Students), on behalf of graduate careers specialist Axiom Software, found that although graduates are idealistic about what company they work for, they are also realistic about their careers with half (51%) expecting to be made redundant in their lifetime at least once.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of these graduates use their network of friends and family to judge a potential employers’ ethics. Only one fifth (21%) would use what they hear or see in the media to judge the ethics of a company.

Mark Housley, CEO of Axiom Software commented, “People want to work for organisations they can be proud of and can relate to. This raises the question of whether companies are sufficiently aware of this concern, and are successfully getting their ethical record across to potential recruits? Companies need to actively engage their HR directors in the content of their corporate websites in order to convey a positive message to potential employees about their ethical record and company culture.”

These findings are part of a series of research projects commissioned by Axiom Software looking at graduates and HR directors’ attitudes to recruitment. they come from a survey of almost 700 graduates conducted via the online newsletter of the NUS.

This ethical trend in working practices is being mirrored in business schools. Some business schools already talk of the triple bottom line – profit, society, and the environment. Warwick University’s Business School introduced a Corporate Citizenship Unit in response to requests from young managers.