Dive Brief:

• More than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. have either personally witnessed or been aware of illegal or unethical conduct at work, but only 73% said they felt comfortable reporting that behavior to leadership, according to a recent study commissioned by the law firm Outten & Golden.
• Meanwhile, 33% of respondents said their fear of negative consequences would prevent them from reporting issues, and 21% said they’ve felt pressured to compromise their ethics, per the report.
• The report also found that 13% of workers surveyed didn’t agree that their employer communicates honestly and openly, with that number rising to 21% for employees aged 55 to 64 — a cohort that “may represent the most senior employees with the greatest insight into employers’ behavior.”

Dive Insight:

The commissioned report gathered responses from more than 1,000 U.S. employees in order to highlight the gap between employee values and the reality of many workplaces, Outten & Golden said.

“When one-third of American workers fear reporting misconduct, that’s not just a red flag — it’s a systemic failure,” Tammy Marzigliano, partner and co-chair of the law firm’s whistleblower and retaliation practice, said in a statement. “If employees believe that speaking up at work comes with a personal cost, employers should be worried. Companies that fail to build cultures of trust and accountability are not only risking legal exposure — they are undermining their own long-term success.”

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