Ethics at Work 2018: Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom

Publication type: Survey
27 November 2018

Tags: Speak Up, Ethics Programme issues, Treatment of Employees

This survey report describes the Australia and New Zealand findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and compares them with the findings from the UK.

Speed read

Key findings

  • The majority of employees say their organisation acts with honesty (84%)
  • One in ten employees have felt pressured to compromise ethical standards - with time pressure being the most common form of pressure mentioned
  • Although a quarter of empoyees have been aware of misconduct at work, employees are likely to speak up about misconduct, with 65% saying they spoke up
  • The survey data highlights the importance and impact of corporate ethics programmes - employees who work in a 'supportive environment for ethics' tend to have a higher opinion of honesty in their organisation; are less likely to have been aware of misconduct at work; and are more likely to have spoken up about misconduct if they have.

About

The IBE’s Ethics at Work survey is the only one of its kind covering Australia and New Zealand. This report take a deeper look at data for both countries and compares them together with the responses from UK employees. It asks employees how they experience ethics in their day-to-day working lives and how they perceive corporate ethical culture. It looks at whether they have witnessed misconduct; whether they have reported it; and what if anything stops them from doing so, answering questions such as:

  • What do employees think about the ethical business practices of their employer?
  • How much support do they get to 'do the right thing'?

It provides real insight into employees’ views on ethics across all sectors and job roles. It also examines the impact of formal ethics programmes on embedding ethical values into organisational culture and influencing behaviour.This is the first time that the survey, first introduced in the UK in 2005, has been conducted in Australia and New Zealand. It asks employees how they experience ethical dilemmas in their day­to­day working lives. It looks at whether they have witnessed misconduct; whether they have reported it; and what if anything stops them from doing so.
Over 2,000 employees were surveyed across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

IBE_Survey_Report_Ethics_at_Work_2018_survey_of_employees_AusNZUK_INT.pdf
7.7MB

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