That is the question…

It seems to be that, more and more, content creators, young professions, social media influencers, young businesses and corporations, young managers and leaders are being more open with their morality and ethics in the public space and work bubble.

There was a time (and still is in many places) when you did not speak about politics, ethics, morality, justice etc. in a professional environment.

As a bloggers/Youtuber I have been watching just said “as I used to think that as a food blogger I should just ‘stay in my lane’ and not talk about these things on my channel. That is ridiculous because we’re all human beings. I am sorry for not using my platform to support social justice.”

Wonderful.

These artificial boxes we have created where certain things are allowed to be talked about are not in keeping with the messy complexity of our humaness. When we create unatural conditions for our existence we create stress and anxiety because these are not normal for us.

The irony of course is that we create these boundaries because we are seeking to avoid conflict which creates stress and anxiety in our lives.

“DON’T TALK ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE AT WORK!”

Odd. Do you want to work with racists? Do you want to enable inequality?

“AS LONG AS IT EARNS REVENUE!!!” (mouth beings to lather).

Ok..it is true that there is a time and place for some conversations. You need a somewhat receptive audience to converse about certain things. It’s difficult to talk about the Black Lives Matter #BLM movement whilst selling a car.

However good corporate citizenship needs to incorporate ethics and morality beyond the simplistic “do not lie” approach.

Corporations and businesses should express the morality of their humans. They should sponsor positive initiatives, speak up about human rights and equality issues, and partner accordingly. In reverse they should distance themselves from people, sponsorships or business partners that support racial inequality and oppression.

“YEAH WELL IF YER GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS KIND OF SHIT I AIN’T BUYIN NOTHIN FROM YOU.”

Hey that’s actually ok. If we allow revenue/salary/money to influece our morality and ethics we are diminished.

Honestly I think fear of losing power, money and influence are the greatest drivers of silence in our society, especially in business.

Anyhow back to young influencers – kudos to you for not wanting to divorce yourself from your principles and morality in your work life – you are a more complete human for it and a hopeful example.