How to Identify Ethical Practices in Organizations Prior to Employment

Brodhead et al. (2018) wrote a how-to guide for BCBAs who want to check if a future employer acts ethically.

The paper lists questions you can ask in interviews, red flags to spot on company websites, and contract clauses that protect clients and staff.

It is a theoretical paper, not a study with participants, so it gives practical advice instead of data.

The authors found that many BCBAs take the first job offer without checking ethics.

They show that simple steps—like asking how the company handles consent or punishment—can reveal if the workplace follows the BACB Code.

Cox (2020) builds on this idea by telling companies how to build an ethics committee after you join, moving from individual screening to team safeguards.

Glodowski et al. (2025) extends the same protective spirit past the hiring stage; their case study shows an internal ethics hotline that helps BCBAs solve problems once inside the agency.

Jennings et al. (2024) widens the lens again by adding AI ethics to your pre-interview checklist, updating Brodhead’s questions for tech-heavy clinics.

Together the papers form a timeline: screen before you sign, use committees after you arrive, and keep asking new questions as technology changes.

Use the paper’s checklist before your next interview. Ask how the clinic obtains assent, what data security they use, and whether BCBAs can refuse unethical cases. A five-minute question round can save months of moral stress and protect your clients from day one.