When It Comes To Careers, Values Matter. How Can You Retain Them In The Workplace?

It can be tempting to separate the idea of personal values from the act of finding gainful employment. According to the WSJ, taking this view is a folly, as your values can have a big impact on the work you conduct. What’s more, as values change over time, the work you undertake can, and should, change. Businesses are often focused on profits and growth – how can you reconcile your values with the industry you enter?

The most obvious avenue is, of course, to turn your values into a career. Quite some way from the fringe pursuit that progressive or value-based work used to be, today there is a huge market for forward-thinking professionals. A great example is the vegan industry. Marketing in the area has caused a huge surge in interest for meat alternatives, from the USA to East Asia, according to CNBC. A big part of this is vegan bloggers and influencers, and social causes like this are often a way to get into marketing for people with a lot of weight in their principles. Blogs that help distribute information and awareness about trends can make a headway as a real career in the modern world, and that’s good – it means tying values to career.

What about other industries that aren’t intrinsically progressive? Increasingly, workplaces are becoming inclusive of values in their work in response to market forces. Ethical consumerism is big business – University of Dayton research indicates that large numbers of consumers now actively seek companies with a positive record on social issues. Those without risk losing their share of the market. This shows that those in a role that perhaps sits outside of their regular values can make a big impact.

For those already in a role that doesn’t satisfy their core values, there is always the opportunity to move. Moving careers is something increasingly popular with the dawn of remote working and the ability of professionals to find gainful employment outside of their area of comfort. That can be you, too, with some research.

Ultimately, this points to a new truth – values matter, and values don’t have to clash with your employment. It is entirely possible to find work that feels right at the same time as helping you to develop a career.