Nearly one in five UK employees (18%) reported being aware of conduct that violated either the law or their organisation’s ethical standards in the last year. Yet, one in three employees (35%) who knew about misconduct failed to report it, according to the Institute of Business Ethics’ 2024 Ethics at Work survey.
Some 42% of those aware of such misconduct reported bullying and harassment, significantly higher than the international average of 32%. Meanwhile, one in three said they were aware of abuse of authority (33%) and 15% were aware of sexual harassment.
Two in five employees cited fear of jeopardising their job (40%) or concerns that corrective action would not be taken by their organisation (42%) as a deterrent to speaking up after witnessing misconduct.
The research, which surveyed 753 Brits as part of a wider international study, found that of the two-thirds of employees who did raise concerns (63%), nearly a third (29%) reported facing personal disadvantage or retaliation as a result of speaking out and almost half (45%) expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome. Only three in five employees (67%) say that their organisation provides a confidential means of reporting.
Lauren Branston, CEO of the Institute of Business Ethics, commented: “If we’re serious about preventing the harmful workplace behaviours that we see constantly hitting the headlines, like sexual harassment and bullying, a safe speak up culture is crucial. When employees are afraid of retaliation or believe their concerns won’t be acted upon, serious issues can persist unchecked.
“A culture where employees feel safe to speak up leads to increased trust, improved employee engagement, and ultimately, better overall performance. You can’t fix something if you can’t see that it’s broken, so having a positive approach to speak up should be seen as a vital part of an organisation’s culture. Getting this right isn’t just about risk management – it has real, tangible benefits for businesses.”
Generational divide
Internationally, the survey showed a generational divide in willingness to report misconduct. Younger employees aged 18-34 (70%) are more likely to raise concerns compared to their older colleagues aged 35-54 (61%) and those aged 55 and older (54%).
Younger employees (52%) are also more likely to experience retaliation after raising their concerns about misconduct than their older colleagues aged 35-54 (43%), and 55 and over (33%).
Branston added: “When workers don’t feel that issues will be addressed internally, they may look for other avenues to speak out. We’re increasingly seeing employees, particularly younger employees, turning to social media platforms like TikTok to voice their concerns.”
While about four in five employees say that people in their organisation know what is expected of them in terms of ethical behaviour, only half (53%) say that issues of right and wrong are discussed in staff meetings. Just three in five (65%) said that decisions about people are made fairly in their organisation.
