A recently launched social networking site offers job seekers the opportunity to research the ethical values of potential employers.

actics.com allows individuals and organisations to post a Facebook style profile stating up to three of their values and listing five ways they act on them. Actics members rate each other on these and offer feedback on how they think the person or company profiled can better act on their values.

The site was dubbed the “ethical Facebook” by treehugger.com and is the brainchild of economist Nicolai Peitersen.

He said: “Creating an ethical profile of yourself will allow companies to find you based on the ethical values that matter to you. More companies are now aware of the benefits of a strong values-based culture for attracting and retaining talented staff as well as for productivity. Companies want role models. Being present on and active within a dedicated ethical community certainly builds your profile.”

Peitersen says each Actics profile has a unique URL which ethical job seekers can include on job applications. There are also plans to get Actics search facilities on job websites so job seekers can search potential employers to see if they have a profile on the site.

Paul Allen, author of Your Ethical Business, isn't sure Actics will work in a massively mainstream capacity because big companies would get poor ratings. But he says that it's one of a number of resources ethical job seekers can use to find a company that takes environmental and social concerns seriously.

“More of these networks are popping up, like the Ethical Business Network, for example," said Allen. "If you're starting out trying to find an ethical job you should explore every possible avenue to research companies. This new site is one way you can look at companies who share and use similar values to you.”

Allen says it's good that Actics allows members to rate companies out of 100 according to how they feel the organisation upholds their stated values. However, companies can set the rating system so results are weighted, for example clients' scores are worth more than employees.

“The important thing is that sites like this are not just vehicles for greenwash,” says Allen. “There needs to be plenty of channels where they can be challenged and it seems like Actics has that to some extent. If companies can't take the criticism and respond to it, that shows they're not doing things right.”

Actics
www.actics.com

Your Ethical Business
www.yourethicalbusiness.co.uk

Ethical Business Network
https://ethicalbusiness.collectivex.com/join

treehuger.com article
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/actics.php