Rights and Resources for Candidates Seeking Ethical Employment
Choosing ethical work is a personal and political decision shaped by risk and values.
Candidates who come to Principled for assistance while seeking new ethical employment experience various concerns, professional, political, and personal. Every individual candidate has a unique situation, in which they must assess their position, and in particular, their position in relation to risk. By risk, we mean the potential legal, professional, and/or personal risks that one opens themself up to when they begin the process of seeking more ethical employment that is in better alignment with their personal politics. Leaving one job for another that feels more ethical and aligned is not a neutral move, but a highly political one. Candidates may choose to engage in this process publicly and loudly, or they may proceed silently. One’s individual preferences, personality, and risk (concerns pertaining to financial responsibilities, citizenship or residency status, health insurance, childcare, or the risk of experiencing harassment or doxxing) all inform the decisions a candidate makes with regard to how they go about their ethical-job-search-process.
In offering personalized and compassionate job placement support, Principled must go beyond just empathy towards a candidate’s process, but they must also be aware of how candidates are legally protected prior to, during, and after their job search process.
Examining “Ethics”
First, we must acknowledge the term “ethical” itself, and its contemporary usage in this context. Etymologically, “ethics” comes from the Greek word “ethikos,” which relates to one’s character. “Ethikos” derived from “ethos,” which described one’s habits or customs. This origin, although its meaning shifted over time upon entering the Latin and then English languages, suggests that ethics pertained to one’s character as it developed from repeated actions, or habitual behaviors. Greek thinkers like Pythagoras, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle examined the notion of ethics in relation to moral principles, social norms and conventions, facts and tradition, and reason. As time went on and these philosophical debates continued and expanded, ethics became an academic discipline of its own, and also became a concept that was used to address questions of morality and “right” and “wrong.” A longstanding debate of ethics remains – are there universal ethical principles that equally apply to all, or does the specific cultural context make the idea of ethics itself less rigid and more situationally-dependent?
Fast forward to the present use of “ethics,” and the consideration of ethics, for example, in relation to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Palestine. For candidates who prioritize ethics, the term becomes coded as a way to convey that one’s values require companies to believe in a basic maintenance of human rights principles, and the opposition of violence and the upholding of systems and beliefs that promote such violence. Although such a base moral bar should be one that is obvious and important to all, the last few years have proven that many are able to stand by as a witness to genocide, without taking intervention. And for companies, and especially tech companies, profits have taken precedence over peoples’ lives as they have continued to work with the Israeli government, and/or provide the material technology that supports and maintains Israeli violence.
A candidate may choose to quit their current job for ethical reasons, and seek more values-based employment, after recognizing that their company is, in some way, complicit in supporting the Israeli state and their ongoing genocide. Quitting, for such a candidate, is an ethical choice to not support those who support violence they view as morally wrong. And then seeking new ethical employment, and the assistance of Principled who is committed to such principles, is another ethical choice, wherein they seek to align themselves with an organization that they view as morally good. As such, it is critical that Principled supports these transitioning job candidates at every stage, and part of doing so is providing resources for how they might better protect themselves if their current or former company seeks to punish them, whether legally, professionally, or personally.
We share the information below not only to highlight the extent of resources available, but also to organize them in one centralized location for accessibility. In sharing this information, Principled offers a guide that aims to support candidates through each stage of the process, not only with securing a new role that is more values-aligned, but also in supporting candidates in their current role before leaving, and throughout their transition.
The information below is more geared towards those individuals who seek to leave their current role, and/or for those who have witnessed anything of concern in the workplace and seek support. Although more specifically tailored towards those who work in the tech space, these resources may also be widely applicable in other fields.
Key Resources for Ethical Job Seekers
Various organizations offer incredible resources of use to candidates who have made public their ethical concerns with their current company, engage in activism or advocacy, and/or have various other considerations pertaining to individual risk.
These organizations include: Pal Legal; the European Legal Support Center (ELSC); Equality Labs’ “Anti-Doxing Guide for Activists;” and the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s tips on how to protect yourself online, how to minimize harm, and on surveillance self-defense. For non-citizens, it is especially important to know your rights, and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) hotline; the American Immigration Lawyers Association resources “Know Your Rights” information pertaining to ICE;” the Immigrant Defense Project’s “Know Your Rights” guides related to ICE; Muslims for Justice Futures’ “Defending Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests;” and the Center for Constitutional Rights from CUNY School of Law’s “Know Your Rights While Protesting as Non-Citizens” all provide critical support and information.
Rights in the Workplace
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has shared thorough and useful guidance to “Know Your Rights as an Employee,” discussing general rights, how to better engage with human resources (HR), legal implications, best practices, and responding to employer statements.
1. https://palestinelegal.org/about
2. https://palestinelegal.org/news/2023/10/12/resources-for-advocating-for-palestine-across-us
3. https://elsc.support/about/
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/doxxing-tips-protect-yourself-online-how-minimize-harm
https://nmd.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/epi/documents/ICE-Home-Visit-English-2025-Update.pdf
https://www.aila.org/library/know-your-rights-if-ice-stops-you-in-public-1
https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/
https://www.cair.com/know_your_rights/your-rights-as-an-employee/#elementor-toc__heading-anchor-4
LaborLab’s “A Simple Guide to Protected Concerted Activity” provides a valuable resource on employee protections if they choose to work together to seek better pay or working conditions. Concerted activity is protected under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a federal law in the U.S.
And The Signals Network, Psst, and The Tech Worker Handbook all offer important resources for whistleblowers, and for those concerned about something they have witnessed in their workplace.
And for those in the UK and Europe, the European Legal Support Center (ELSC) offers important resources, including “Know Your Rights Toolkits” specific to different countries.
Conclusion
Seeking ethical employment is a deeply personal and political journey, and one that requires careful consideration of risk, rights, and resources. At Principled, we recognize that a candidates’ decision to align work with values is not just a career move, but an ethical stance. Understanding one’s legal protections, accessing the right resources, and approaching the process thoughtfully, and with support, is critical to navigate the complexities of finding and maintaining employment that is values-aligned in today’s precarious political atmosphere. The more we support one another, and recognize the power of our voices and our labor, the more pressure companies and employers may feel to actually align their commitments and financial investments with values that matter and make an impact.
12. https://laborlab.us/resource/a_simple_guide_to_protected_concerted_activity/
13. https://thesignalsnetwork.org/whistleblower-protection-program/
14. https://psst.org/about
15. https://techworkerhandbook.org/legal/working-with-the-us-congress-or-uk-parliament/
Article – “Why companies get more out of values-aligned candidates”
From Mohammed’s reflection at Mederva:
His surprise at the level of talent Principled offered – i.e. how experienced and how values-aligned candidates are
His surprise at the quality of talent compared to the general talent pool
That Principled saved him time assessing candidates – i.e. can trust Principled to have already done that, and done that well
Alexandra Fine
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