Misconduct | A third of workers remain silent when they see wrongdoing

More than third of workers who are aware of misconduct at work remain silent according to new research by The Institute of Business Ethics (IBE), in Partnership with The Ethics Centre.

The Ethics at Work survey of 752 Australian workers found that one in four (24%) have been aware of misconduct during the past year at work. Yet, 35% of those workers decided not to speak up. When asked what influenced their decision, 32% said they felt speaking up might jeopardise their job and 27% did not believe that corrective action would be taken.

Philippa Foster Back CBE, Director of the IBE says that the survey shows employees are becoming more confidence about speaking up, but employers need to do more. “Global movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp are having ramifications throughout the workplace, not just in terms of people speaking up about harassment, but in feeling empowered to raise concerns about other issues,” she says.

“Employees are under more stress to deliver than ever before, and this is increasing the pressure to then cut ethical corners."