Dive Brief:
- More than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. have either personally witnessed or been aware of illegal or unethical conduct at work, but only 73% said they felt comfortable reporting that behavior to leadership, according to a recent study commissioned by the law firm Outten & Golden.
- Meanwhile, 33% of respondents said their fear of negative consequences would prevent them from reporting issues, and 21% said they’ve felt pressured to compromise their ethics, per the report.
- The report also found that 13% of workers surveyed didn’t agree that their employer communicates honestly and openly, with that number rising to 21% for employees aged 55 to 64 — a cohort that “may represent the most senior employees with the greatest insight into employers’ behavior.”
Dive Insight:
The commissioned report gathered responses from more than 1,000 U.S. employees in order to highlight the gap between employee values and the reality of many workplaces, Outten & Golden said.
“When one-third of American workers fear reporting misconduct, that’s not just a red flag — it’s a systemic failure,” Tammy Marzigliano, partner and co-chair of the law firm’s whistleblower and retaliation practice, said in a statement. “If employees believe that speaking up at work comes with a personal cost, employers should be worried. Companies that fail to build cultures of trust and accountability are not only risking legal exposure — they are undermining their own long-term success.”
Awareness of whistleblower protections were also limited, according to the survey, which found that more than 40% of respondents reported being unaware of government whistleblower programs and the protections they offer.
“Government whistleblower programs give employees something many workplaces still fail to provide: a safe path to speak the truth,” Dave Jochnowitz, co-chair of the whistleblower and retaliation practice, said in a statement. “Internal systems often fail. When they do, these programs help restore balance and ensure misconduct does not go unchecked.”
Stronger leadership accountability, transparent communication and a workplace culture where employees feel safe to speak up are the best ways to bridge the gap between awareness and action, the report said.
These ethical issues can also affect employee retention. A 2025 report from Resume Now found that nearly half of workers (47%) said they’ve considered leaving their jobs due to ethical inconsistencies, and another 36% said they’ve remained close-lipped about unethical practices to protect their jobs.