Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. workers have witnessed or have firsthand knowledge of colleagues expressing unethical behavior, according to a Sept. 4 Gallup article.
The findings come from a May survey of 21,543 workers. Of those who were aware of unethical behavior at their workplace in the past year, 43% said they reported it.
When asked why they did not report the issue, the belief that no action would be taken in response was the top reasoning. One in 5 respondents said they feared retaliation.
Leaders were found to be more likely to report this behavior, according to Gallup. While 39% of non-leaders said they reported unethical behavior when they became aware of it, 55% of managers and leaders said they reported it.
When employees did report unethical behavior, 50% shared it with their manager first, compared to 18% who reported it to a human resources representative.
Knowledge of unethical behavior in one's organization can lead to an unhealthy work culture and contribute to disengagement, Gallup wrote.
Employees who learn of the negative behavior in their workplace are 2.3 times as likely to be burned out and 2.7 times as likely to be disengaged compared to their peers, according to the article.