Sometimes you sense that something isn’t right at work. You suspect that your finance colleague might be fudging numbers, your boss isn’t telling his manager the truth about an important project, or your co-worker is skipping out of the office early but leaving her computer on so it looks like she’s just down the hall. How do you know when it’s worth speaking up or not? Can you you protect yourself from potential consequences of calling out bad behavior? And when you do decide to say something, what do you say and to whom?
A recent Gallup analysis shows that only 40% of employees with knowledge of unethical behavior actually report it -- a rate seven percentage points lower than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, our research shows that employees overwhelmingly plan to report unethical behavior. In fact, a 2020 survey revealed that nine in 10 employees said they would report unethical behavior at work if they saw it in the future. But right now, only four in 10 actually do. The gap between employees who say they will report and those who actually report is largest among individual contributors, but it holds true across people and project managers and even executive leaders. Why it matters: Your organization may have its values on the wall or in the employee handbook, but that's no guarantee against unethical behavior and the silent observers who let it go unchallenged. Employees may be holding back information that could affect your brand, your likelihood of litigation and your employees' trust. How Leaders Can Boost Ethics ReportingGallup has found one critical thing leaders can do to increase the rate that employees report unethical behavior: Build employees' confidence that leaders will do the right thing. When employees strongly agree that, if they raised a concern about ethics or integrity, their employer would do what is right, their rate of reporting is 24 points higher than that of employees who do not strongly agree their employer would do what is right if they raised a concern.
Gallup has found one critical thing leaders can do to increase the rate that employees report unethical behavior: Build employees' confidence that leaders will do the right thing. What might explain this substantial increase in reporting? People are motivated to act when they are confident their actions will make a difference. Employees may be aware of improper behavior, but if they don't believe their voice matters or if they fear retribution, they are unlikely to speak up. Leaders can't just rely on rare "heroes" who are willing to speak up against the odds; they need to create an environment and culture that assures people that speaking up will lead to leadership action. How Can Leaders Build Employee Confidence in Ethics?
Results for the March 2020 and October 2021 Workforce Surveys are based on nationally representative, self-administered web surveys conducted March 9-23, 2020, and Oct. 16-28, 2021, with random samples of 13,594 (March 2020) and 13,085 (October 2021) full-time and part-time working adults, age 18 and older, who are members of the Gallup Panel. For results based on these samples, the margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Gallup uses probability-based, random sampling methods to recruit its Panel members. Gallup weighted the obtained samples to correct for nonresponse. Nonresponse adjustments were made by adjusting the sample to match the national demographics of gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education and region. Demographic weighting targets were based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. All Gallup Headlines Article Culture Workplace
March 19, 2022
|