Our Ethics at Work 2024 report is based on a survey of over 12,000 working adults in 16 countries. Where available, the 2024 results were compared with historical survey results from 2021, 2018 and 2012, with a demographic spread achieved across age, gender and industry types, and respondents selected to reflect the composition of the working population.
The presence of a ‘supportive environment for ethics’ – a working culture perceived by employees to be supportive of ethics – was correlated with a range of ethical actions by individuals and organisations.
Building a supportive environment for ethics matters
Awareness of four building blocks of an ethics programme – a key part of creating a ‘supportive environment for ethics’ – has grown from 2021 to 2024, including written standards of business conduct (71%, up from 67%), confidential speak up mechanisms (61%, up from 57%), ethical standards training (60%, up from 52%) and access to advice or a helpline (53%, up from 46%)
Most concerning is that, of those reporting misconduct, 20% reported being aware of sexual harassment in the workplace and 13% were aware of bribery or corruption
Encouragingly, there is also a three-year upward trend in willingness to speak up (64%, up from 57%) and satisfaction with speak up outcomes (71%, up from 62%). Overall, 84% of employees reported that they felt that honesty is practised in their organisations
While it is reassuring that most employees chose to speak up about misconduct, those who did not speak up feared that no corrective action would be taken (34%) or that they might jeopardise their job (34%), with no change in these two figures since 2021
However, whilst most employees (71%) believe their organisations are taking ethics seriously, stubbornly high levels of misconduct remain, with 25% reporting that they had been aware of misconduct or illegal activity at work in the last year, up from 18% in 2021.
The findings raise several questions about wider management issues with which building blocks of ethics intersect, which require further investigation. These include: organisational culture; corporate governance; leadership commitment; diversity, equity and inclusion; employee engagement; communications, including social media; and corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
These findings also show a role for ‘ethics’ in some important and emerging challenges for organisations. We know that ‘high psychological safety’ (where speaking up is supported) is important when trying to form a ‘beyond compliance’ culture. This is important in areas such as responsible AI, where regulation is widely recognised to be still catching up. In the same vein, as organisations work out ‘how to’ comply, creating an ethical culture matters. For example, the new EU sustainability regulations will require better and more meaningful collaboration and challenge between organisational functions.
We will be delving deeper into these areas in the near future. To stay informed, please log in to your profile and ensure your contact preferences are set to allow email, or if you haven't already, create a free profile.
Country reports
Acknowledgements
The IBE would like to thank the following organisations for their generous financial support of this survey:
