The fact sheet for the UK was released by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and Vienna, Virginia-based Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) to share insight into employee perceptions of ethics within an organisation.

It analyses perceptions of ethical strength, pressure to compromise ethical standards, observations of misconduct, reporting misconduct and retaliation perceived by employees after they report misconduct.

According to the GBES data, UK employees across all work sectors and disciplines reported that only 13% experience a strong ethical culture in their organisation, compared with the global median of 14%.

In 2020, 23% of UK employees observed misconduct that violated their organisations ethical standards, compared with the 33% global median. Pressure to compromise on their organisations workplace ethical standards was reported by 26% of UK workers.

Of those that observed misconduct, 82% of UK employees reported it to their organisation. This has increased from 78% of UK employees reporting misconduct in 2019. Resistance to report misconduct is often due to fear of negative consequences. After reporting misconduct in the workplace, 74% of UK employees experienced retaliation, compared to a global median of 61%.

Claire Walker, PRCA Global Ethics Council member and Firefly Communications Group CEO, says, “The report is a wakeup call for business leaders. 74% of UK employees experienced retaliation after reporting misconduct? All the smiling Friday work drinks and profitable quarters can’t escape this truth – toxic cultures can leave a trail of broken people."

“It’s not enough today to just run a successful business – the last 18 months has made that very clear. The drive for change is no small task but the collective action of business leaders and line-managers can make a difference," adds Walker.