In business, ethical breaches are not always reported

The Institute of Business Ethics and the Compliance Institute have probe more than 12,000 employees from sixteen countries, including France, on issues of ethics at work. The overwhelming majority of respondents believe that their employer takes this issue seriously (71%), which does not prevent them from seeing ethical breaches in their company.

A quarter of those surveyed say they have already heard of inappropriate or illegal actions in the office. A figure increasing compared to the 18% recorded in 2021. In detail, 20% of employees who were aware of ethics violations say it was sexual harassment, and 13% bribery. or corruption.

Encouragingly, 84% of employees surveyed say they work for a company where they can express themselves freely. A climate that allows them to denounce any breach of ethics. But not all employees feel comfortable reporting these incidents: 34% of them do not dare to do so because they believe that it would be of no use. Others remain silent for fear that it will harm their career (34%).

However, this is not a very wise choice. Ethics helps create a healthy and respectful work environment. Staying silent when you witness an unethical situation contributes to the persistence of unacceptable behavior, which harms your well-being and general motivation. Indeed, it has been proven that ethical violations increase intentions to resign. Employees are more likely to leave a company where they perceive ethical problems, even if they do not affect them personally.

This is why it is important that companies establish a framework for reporting such abuses and take official measures to stop them, for example via commitment charters. Training can also be organized to help employees identify ethically unacceptable situations.