On 20/2/20, Alex Adler talked on the topic of ethics in the work place, something people often disregard when applying to jobs.
Alex Adler studied Economics first at University of Edinburgh and later completed a masters in Amsterdam. In between courses he worked in London as an assistant economist for the HM treasury. Despite this employers are often more interested in the fact he has studied abroad. Something he believes makes him stand out, have greater independence and resilience as he was placed somewhere he knew no one.
On the topic of ethics, he made interesting points which caused great debate within the audience. An example of this is people working in lower paid jobs being forced to pay tax or go to prison when Google pay only a fraction of the tax they should pay. Is this ethical?
I found that Alex was keen to point out that you’re often expected to stay past 5pm to finish your work, you could be up at 2am replying to work emails. Again he asked is this ethical? I took from this that he wants people know the working world is hard and you have to do what you can to impress your employer if you want to succeed and gain promotions. I already know all this from watching how hard my father works in the finance world but I think it was a really important point which a large majority of my colleagues may not be aware of.
I felt Alex’s talk was really interesting and engaging. I agreed with a lot he had to say and I’m glad he is getting people thinking and talking about ethics in the workplace as I think it is key to a business. As previously mentioned I’m glad he made it so clear how hard it can be having to work at all different hours of the day and night.
Finally I have always been interested in studying or working abroad so it encouraged me to hear employers are keen on this. It was also good to hear he had such a great experience and that he gained skills which I am also looking to enhance.
The MacMillan Post 