Publicly criticising employers is a valid way to raise concerns
Workplaces won’t improve unless people are able to speak up about their experiences
Many employers like to advertise their healthy and inclusive working cultures. But not all live up to their own hype, as highlighted by a recent spate of public announcements. A chemistry professor in the UK announced through their now-deleted Twitter account that they were leaving their job due to a biased and exclusionary institutional culture; over in a chemistry-adjacent industry, brewing, former employees of Brewdog published an open letter claiming they worked in a culture of fear. Even prospective employers have been reproached: chemist Lisa Jones withdrew herself from consideration for a job at UNC Chapel Hill in the US over concerns about the commitment of the university to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Publicly criticising a past, present or future employer is often seen as a risky career move.