During my recent probation review (which I passed!), I was asked by Ben why I opted to join Thompson & Terry Recruitment, and if the culture has been what I expected. The short answer is Yes, but it really got me thinking and actually so many candidates that we talk to look to work for ethical and value-led businesses, which is the reason I’ve written this blog.

As someone who really values morals and ethics, when searching for a job before eventually finding Thompson & Terry Recruitment, it was so important to me to work for a business that is value-led and always looking to do the ‘right thing’ in line with my own values.

During my job search, I would always research a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy during the process to make sure it aligned with my values. If you were to work for a company whose values you fundamentally disagreed with, there would be too much friction in the workplace that would make your employment unenjoyable. You could be asked to do something that you strongly disagreed with, such as deceiving a customer, or be associated with a business known for their mistreatment of staff. This would cause you to feel a lot of negative emotions at work, leading to unhappiness and adversely impacting your motivation.

I was so pleased when I read Thompson & Terry Recruitment’s CSR Policy. I instantly fell in love with the transparent, honest, and ethical approach to recruitment. Working for a recruitment business whose ethics place such great value on clients, candidates, employees, and community engagement sat so right with me and I just knew that I would enjoy and be proud of working in the value-led environment.

Here at Thompson & Terry Recruitment, we pride ourselves on our honesty and transparency. For clients, we would only submit a candidate if we would personally employee them ourselves – and our clients love this approach! Furthermore, for candidates, we are always transparent about the roles we discuss, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly to make sure the role is exactly as they expect even a year after a placement. It’s also amazing to work for a business that cares so much about the wider community – from sponsoring fundraising events, volunteering at schools, and providing free-to-use, easy-to-navigate careers advice, it is wonderful to get so involved and make a difference in our community.

When looking at a company’s values and ethics, I would strongly recommend these 4 areas to focus on with your research, and to ask during the interview process:

1. CSR

   • What are the company’s values?
   • What do the company’s values mean to you (the interviewer)?
   • How was your CSR created? Who was involved?
   • How do you communicate your CSR to stakeholders?

2. Employees

   • What training and support do you offer your staff?
   • How will my performance be measured?
   • Who can I go to for help?
   • How does the company promote employee welfare and wellbeing?
   • What progression opportunities are there in the business?

3. Clients/Customers

   • Review platforms like Google Reviews and TrustPilot are a great way to see how customers and clients feel about a company
   • How do you approach your stakeholder management?

4. Community Engagement

   • How does the business support the wider community?
   • What charities does the business work closely with?
   • What opportunities are there for me to get involved with charitable work/the wider community?

I hope this blog about my own experiences has been useful, but if I can help you in anyway please do get in touch.