This year, the IBE surveyed employees in India 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 India are the most likely to say that honesty is practised always or frequently in their organisation and to speak up about misconduct they are aware of at work. They are also most likely to be satisfied with the outcome after speaking up.

Employees in India are significantly more likely than the global average to have a positive view of their line manager’s commitment to ethics and their organisation’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders on ethics. They are more likely than average to say that they are aware of their organisation providing each of four building blocks of an ethics programme, particularly concerning awareness of their organisation providing training on standards of ethical conduct and awareness of their organisation offering advice or an information helpline where they can get advice about behaving ethically at work.

However, employees in India are significantly more likely than average to find each of eight ethically questionable workplace practices as listed on p9 of the global report to be acceptable. Of the 16 surveyed countries, they are the most likely to feel pressured to compromise their organisation’s standards of behaviour, to be aware of misconduct at work and to experience retaliation after raising concerns about misconduct. Despite their positive view of their line manager’s commitment to ethics, the majority of the employees surveyed in India also agree that their line manager rewards good results, even when they are achieved through ethically questionable practices.

 

Organisational culture

  • Employees in India 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 practices acceptable (40% vs 20% global average).
  • Around nine in ten employees in India say that honesty is practised always or frequently in their organisation (91%), which is higher than the percentage of employees who say so globally (84% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely to say so.
  • Around a third of employees in India feel pressured to compromise on ethical standards of behaviour (36%). In comparison, 15% of employees globally said that they felt pressured. Around a third of employees in India who have felt pressured to compromise on ethical standards say that time pressure / unrealistic deadlines (34%) and wanting to help their organisation perform better (e.g. against competitors or spending cutbacks) (32%) are the main sources of pressure.
  • Around two-fifths of employees in India reported being aware of conduct that they thought violated either the law or their organisation’s ethical standards in the last year (44%). Employees in India are the most likely to say so. The global average is 25%.

Speaking up

  • Around nine in ten employees in India who were aware of misconduct spoke up about their concerns with management, another appropriate person, or through any other mechanism (88%). This figure is higher than the percentage of employees who say so globally (64% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely to say so.
  • Of all those who did not report a concern, around a third of them cited thinking that someone in their organisation already knew about it (31%) as the key deterrent to speaking up. Notably, around a quarter said they did not raise concerns because they didn't think it was a serious issue at the time (26%).
  • Of those reporting a concern, nearly two-thirds (65%) say that they experienced a form of personal disadvantage or retaliation as a result. This figure is well above the 2024 global average - where nearly half said so (46%). Employees in India are among the most likely to say that they have experienced retaliation after speaking up, alongside those in France (64%)
  • Around nine in ten employees in India say they were satisfied with the outcome after raising concerns about misconduct (93%). This figure is well above the percentage of employees who say so globally in 2024 (71% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely say that they were satisfied with the outcome after speaking up.

The ethics programme

  • Employees in India are more likely than the global average to say that they are aware of their organisation providing each of four building blocks of an ethics programme considered. For example, 88% of them are aware that their organisation has written standards of ethical business conduct that provide guidelines for their job, compared to a global average of 71%. They are among the most likely of the 16 surveyed countries to be aware of these building blocks. They are the most likely to be aware that their organisation provides training on standards of ethical conduct (85% vs 60% global average) and to be aware that their organisation offers advice or an information helpline where they can get advice about behaving ethically at work (84% vs 53% global average).

Embedding ethics through a supportive environment

  • 89% of employees in India (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager sets a good example of ethical business behaviour, 88% (vs 68% global average) agree that their line manager explains the importance of honesty and ethics in the work they do and 88% (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager supports them in following their organisation’s standards of ethical behaviour. While 88% (vs 71% global average) agree that senior management takes ethics seriously in their organisation, 72% of employees in India (vs 38% global average) also agree that their line manager rewards employees who get good results, even if they use practices that are ethically questionable. Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely to agree with this statement.
  • 90% of employees in India (vs 76% global average) agree that their organisation acts responsibly in all its business dealings and 88% (vs 72% global average) that it lives up to its stated policy of social responsibility. Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely to agree with this statement.
  • Employees in India are also likely to have positive views about how their organisation engages with employees on ethics. They are more likely than the global average to agree that people in their organisation know what is expected of them in terms of ethical behaviour (90% vs 77% global average), that in their organisation decisions about people are made fairly (85% vs 67% global average) and that issues of right and wrong are discussed in staff meetings (86% vs 62% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, employees in India are the most likely to agree with this statement.
  • Employees in India are also more likely than average to agree that their organisation disciplines employees who violate its ethical standards (84% vs 65% global average). Of the 16 surveyed countries, they are among the most likely to agree with this statement, alongside employees in South Africa (85%).