Hidden workplace misconduct is on the rise, with a vast disconnect between the employee experience and the perception at the top. There is a distinct gap between what we are now willing to dismiss as standard practices, despite evidence of improper treatment, and if allowed to fester, could grow into a much more serious problem later down the line. A new report revealed that while 71% of workers felt protected in the workplace, only 38% could report not witnessing any workplace misconduct in the last 12 months of their employment.
The risk of developing a toxic workplace feels relatively low when such a significant number of workers report feeling protected at work, however, the number still isn’t high enough to allow businesses to move on to focusing on their other goals. If this misconduct is regularly overlooked by leaders and other top dogs at the organization, the company culture could quickly turn into a hostile and irreparable one, with a multitude of flaws and gaps in the system.
Most stories of workplace misconduct are often hidden away by employees who fear retaliation, but this allows the work culture to sour over time. (Image: Pexels)
Hidden Workplace Misconduct Is on the Rise, with Unequal Accountability Worsening the Problem
TalentLMS recently released the results of a new survey, which revealed considerable gaps between how protected employees feel and how organizations responded to the misconduct internally. According to the workplace misconduct study, 71% of employees feel protected at work. However, 36% have witnessed incivility or disrespect, and 33% experienced it. Again, 29% witnessed professional or social exclusion, while 24% have personally faced it themselves.
Those who chose to speak up about their experience didn’t entirely see the support they deserved either. About 25% witnessed retaliation for sharing their experience, while 21% experienced it for themselves. The survey clearly showed evidence of workplace protection gaps in the modern world, where misconduct and exclusion were just daily fare for some, and those who tried to bring attention to it were effectively shut down for doing so.
Again, the numbers are smaller in scale compared to those who have not had such negative experiences on the job, but this confirms that misconduct in the workplace is still prevalent, even without having to dip our toes into more serious violations like sexual harassment and physical harm.
Mistrust Grows When There Is Unequal Accountability for Workplace Misconduct
The workplace misconduct study didn’t just look at the employee experience of the workplace misconduct, but also explored just how these issues are handled at work. About 62% of employees believed that workplace misconduct was more likely to be overlooked when it was conducted by someone who was a top performer or leader. This trend isn’t exclusive to the workplace. In addition, 45% said they had even seen people promoted despite their mistreatment of others.
Most people in power are known to get away with more than their fair share of inappropriate actions in the larger landscape of the world. What is concerning is that we allow such misconduct to continue when it is easy enough to set regulations within the workplace to ensure fair treatment of all workers, no matter where they fall within the company hierarchy.
Such toxic cultures open the doors to a multitude of hidden risks that can boldly walk into the workplace, from encouraging more workers to engage in such behavior to allowing more serious workplace violations to get swept under the rug. Over time, workers become more fearful of their workplace, losing any motivation they have to contribute to the organization. About 77% of employees would even consider leaving the job if they feel unprotected, and their exit will only leave a gap that is hard to fill, and significantly harder to retain.
The Lack of Standardized Complaint Process Systems Allows Workplace Misconduct to Escalate
Employees fear these accountability gaps in the workplace, but there is also little they can do to close them. Nearly half of the respondents said that managers actively discouraged employees from escalating harassment or discrimination complaints, with 42% worrying that speaking up about their issues would have them labelled as “difficult” employees.
TalentLMS’ numbers show that 25% of employees said that they didn’t report the incidents they witnessed or experienced, and their reasons are what we’ve come to expect. Why? Because 56% didn’t think it would make a difference, and 36% feared the retaliation they would experience in turn. These numbers suggest a lack of faith in the organization and its leadership to introduce substantial change or provide the support needed to confront and resolve such issues.
With their own safety and well-being on the line, if workers are willing to keep the workplace misconduct hidden, it’s likely that they do not hold their leadership in high regard in other areas as well. Looking at the numbers, it is no surprise that leaders are no longer able to motivate and inspire their workers in the modern-day workplace.
With Toxic Work Culture and Its Hidden Risks Likely to Grow, Action Today Is Better than Damage Control Tomorrow
Providing safety and security in the workplace, both physical and mental protection, has always been a standard expectation. To this end, many employers provide training to coach employees on acceptable workplace behavior, and this has helped to a degree. Sixty percent of employees believe that compliance training has improved the overall behavior at work. However, this is only a partial solution, and often a mismanaged one at that.
Over 45% of respondents say that compliance training feels disconnected from the real situation that employees face at work. Improvements are needed in how these trainings are conducted and what they cover, with a greater emphasis on real situations and the practical skills needed to handle them.
Providing this training consistently and for all employees is another consideration that needs to be kept in mind while the training material is updated. More importantly, however, businesses also need to pay close attention to the ground realities at work.
Training Is Just One Part of Addressing Workplace Misconduct: Pay Attention to Who You Promote
Employees who want to share their concerns should have a safe way of doing so, and these complaints should be taken seriously, no matter who they are levied against. The business is only as strong as its weakest link, and promoting these individuals to higher positions only serves to expand how many employees they affect and the negative impact they have on the business.
Rather than allowing workplace misconduct to remain hidden, employers that openly address and resolve these issues have an easy solution to building employee goodwill and loyalty, while also creating a business that is stable and free of toxic tactics that besmirch its reputation.
How long can workplace misconduct really stay hidden for? If you’ve faced toxic behavior at work, share your experiences with us in the comments. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more deep dives into the nitty-gritty details that could change how your organization operates and performs as a whole.
