This year, the IBE surveyed employees in Hong Kong for the first time and the results show some positive indicators of an ethical culture at work, as well as areas that could indicate improvement is required. For instance, of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in Hong Kong are less likely than average to feel pressured to compromise their organisation’s standards of ethical conduct, to be aware of misconduct at work and to experience retaliation after speaking up about misconduct.
However, employees in Hong Kong are more likely than average to find each of eight ethically questionable workplace practices listed on p9 of the global report to be acceptable. Of the surveyed countries, they are among the least likely to raise concerns about misconduct at work and are less likely than average to be satisfied with the outcome after speaking up. In terms of the ethics programme, they are less likely than average to say that they are aware of their organisation providing each of four building blocks of an ethics programme, particularly relating to awareness of a means of reporting misconduct confidentially.
Compared to the global average, employees in Hong Kong have a mixed view of their line manager’s commitment to ethics and a poorer view of their organisation’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders on ethics.
Organisational culture
- Employees in Hong Kong are among the most likely of the 16 surveyed countries to find each of eight ethically questionable practices outlined on p9 of the global report to be acceptable. They are significantly more likely than the global average to find each of the eight ethically questionable practices acceptable (29% vs 20% global average).
- Around four in five employees in Hong Kong say that honesty is practised always or frequently in their organisation (84%), matching the percentage of employees who say so globally (84% global average).
- Around one in seven employees in Hong Kong have felt pressured to compromise on ethical standards of behaviour (14% vs global average of 15% ). Nearly half of employees in Hong Kong who have felt pressured to compromise on ethical standards say that following their boss's orders (47%) is the main source of pressure. Notably, around two in five say that attempts to save their job (39%) was another main source of pressure.
- Around a fifth of employees in Hong Kong reported being aware of conduct that they thought violated either the law or their organisation’s ethical standards in the last year (21%). The global average is 25%.
Speaking up
- Around half of employees in Hong Kong who were aware of misconduct in the last year spoke up about their concerns with management, another appropriate person, or through any other mechanism (47%). This figure is lower than the percentage of employees who say so globally (64% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, they are among the least likely to speak up, alongside employees in Japan (41%).
- Of those who did not report a concern, around two in five of them cited a lack of belief that corrective action would be taken (40%) as the key deterrent to speaking up. Notably, around a third said they did not raise concerns because they did not want to be seen as a troublemaker by management (35%).
- Of those reporting a concern, around two in five (38%) say that they experienced a form of personal disadvantage or retaliation as a result. This figure is below the 2024 global average - where nearly half said so (46%).
- Seven in ten employees in Hong Kong say they were satisfied with the outcome after raising concerns about misconduct (70%). This figure is similar to the percentage of employees who say so globally in 2024 (71% global average).
The ethics programme
- Employees in Hong Kong are less likely than average to say that they are aware of their organisation providing each of four building blocks of an ethics programme. For example, 70% of them are aware that their organisation has written standards of ethical business conduct, compared to a global average of 71%. They are among the least likely to be aware that their organisation provides employees with a means of reporting misconduct confidentially (43% vs 61% global average), alongside employees in Japan (40%).
Embedding ethics through a supportive environment
- Of those employees surveyed in Hong Kong, 63% (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager sets a good example of ethical business behaviour, 58% (vs 68% global average) agree that their line manager explains the importance of honesty and ethics in the work they do and 72% (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager supports them in following their organisation’s standards of ethical behaviour. While 64% of employees in Hong Kong (vs 71% global average) agree that senior management takes ethics seriously in their organisation, 36% (vs 38% global average) of them also agree that their line manager rewards employees who get good results, even if they use practices that are ethically questionable.
- 71% of employees in Hong Kong (vs 76% global average) agree that their organisation acts responsibly in all its business dealings and 59% (vs 72% global average) that it lives up to its stated policy of social responsibility. Of the 16 surveyed countries, they are among the least likely to agree with this statement.
- Employees in Hong Kong are likely to have a poorer view of how their organisation engages with employees on ethics. They are less likely than the global average to agree that people in their organisation know what is expected of them in terms of ethical behaviour (67% vs 77% global average), that in their organisation decisions about people are made fairly (58% vs 67% global average) and that issues of right and wrong are discussed in staff meetings (46% vs 62% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, they are among the least likely to agree with these statements.
- 62% of surveyed employees in Hong Kong agree that their organisation disciplines employees who violate its ethical standards. A similar percentage of employees agree globally (65% global average).