Employees in the US are as likely as in 2021 and the global average employee to say that honesty is practised always or frequently in their organisation. They are less likely than the global average employee to feel pressured to compromise their organisation’s standards of behaviour. They are as likely as in 2021 and the global average employee to have been aware of misconduct at work.
Compared to 2021, employees in the US are less likely to raise or speak up about misconduct concerns. They are as likely as in 2021 and the global average employee to be satisfied with the outcome after raising their concern about misconduct and to experience retaliation after speaking up.
Employees in the US are more likely to say that they are aware of their organisation providing each of four building blocks of an ethics programme compared to the global average. They generally have a positive view of their line manager’s commitment to ethics and of their organisation’s engagement with internal and external stakeholders. Although, compared to the global average, they are also more likely to agree that their line manager rewards employees who get good results, even if they use practices that are ethically questionable.
Data for the United States were first collected in 2021 as indicated in the global report. For the first time, historical trend can be reported by comparing 2024 data against 2021 data.
Organisational culture
- Around nine in ten employees in the US say that honesty is practised always or frequently in their organisation (85%), remaining consistent with findings in 2021 (87%) and with the percentage of employees who say so globally in 2024 (84% global average).
- Around one in seven employees in the US feel pressured to compromise on ethical standards of behaviour (14%), similar to findings in 2021 (14%) and the 2024 global average (15%). Around a third of employees in the US who have felt pressured to compromise on ethical standards say that following their boss's orders (31%) and being asked to take shortcuts (30%) are the main sources of pressure on them to act unethically.
- Around a fifth of employees in the US reported being aware of conduct that they thought violated either the law or their organisation’s ethical standards in the last year (23%). The figure in 2024 is not statistically higher than in 2021 (20%) or lower than the 2024 global average (25%).
Speaking up
- Around two-thirds of employees in the US who were aware of misconduct spoke up about it with management, another appropriate person, or through any other mechanism (67%). This figure is lower than in 2021 (76%) but is similar to the percentage of employees who say so globally in 2024 (64% global average).
- Of all those who did not report a concern, around two in five of them cited fear of jeopardising their job (43%) as the key deterrent to speaking up. Notably, around one in three of them cited a lack of belief that corrective action would be taken (35%).
- Of those reporting a concern, nearly half (49%) say that they experienced a form of personal disadvantage or retaliation as a result. This figure is similar to 2021 (44%) and the 2024 global average (46%).
- Around two-thirds of employees in the US say they were satisfied with the outcome after raising concerns about misconduct (69%). This figure is similar to findings in 2021 (75%) and the percentage of employees who say so globally in 2024 (71% global average).
The ethics programme
- Employees in the US 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. For example, 82% of US employees are aware of their organisation providing written standards of ethical business conduct, compared to a global average of 71%.
Embedding ethics through a supportive environment
- 77% of US employees (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager sets a good example of ethical business behaviour, 71% (vs 68% global average) agree that their line manager explains the importance of honesty and ethics in the work they do, 76% (vs 72% global average) agree that their line manager supports them in following their organisation’s standards of ethical behaviour. While 76% of employees in the US (vs 71% global average) agree that senior management takes ethics seriously in their organisation, 43% (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.
- 78% of employees in the US (vs 76% global average) agree that their organisation acts responsibly in all its business dealings and 75% (vs 72% global average) that it lives up to its stated policy of social responsibility.
- Employees in the US are also likely to have positive views about how their organisation engages with employees on ethics. They are more likely than average to agree that people in their organisation know what is expected of them in terms of ethical behaviour (85% vs 77% global average), that in their organisation decisions about people are made fairly (72% vs 67% global average) and that issues of right and wrong are discussed in staff meetings (64% vs 62% global average).
- 69% of employees in the US agree that their organisation disciplines employees who violate its ethical standards. A similar percentage of employees agree globally (65% global average).