Gen Z is less likely to report workplace misconduct. Here’s why

The nonprofit Ethisphere Institute has released its annual Ethical Culture Report, which covers ethical trends in workplace environments. One of the most salient insights looks at employees’ willingness to report workplace misbehavior. A core finding? Over the pandemic, respondents said that they were more willing to report workplace misbehavior, and yet they actually reported less of it.

And this was especially true for Gen Z, which the report describes as workers 25 years old and younger.

According to the survey, 38.9% of Gen Z respondents said they did not report misconduct when they observed it, despite their professed willingness to report it. That compares with 31.8% of millennials who did not report observed misconduct and 27.6% of both Gen Xers and baby boomers.

Participants were responding to the question: “When you saw misconduct, did you report it?” It’s important to point out that a good percentage of respondents from each age group declined to answer the question at all, so it’s hard to get a completely full picture. However, Gen Z was also the age group that was least likely to answer “yes” to the question of whether they reported workplace misconduct: 43.6%, compared with 45.5% of millennials, 53.5% of Gen Xers, and 50.3% of boomers.

Of the misconduct that respondents reported post-pandemic, harassment or discrimination was the most widely reported, followed by bullying, which was the type of misconduct that increased most pre-to-post-pandemic. Retaliation, fair employment practices, and conflicts of interest round out the top five most-reported types of misconduct.

But out of all the generations reporting misconduct, why is Gen Z least likely to report misconduct? Ethisphere says the younger the generation, the less likely they are to have confidence in their employer’s anti-retaliation policies and procedures.

Specifically for Gen Z:

• 55.5% of respondents who witnessed workplace misconduct said they did not report it because they didn’t believe corrective action would be taken.
• 47.1% said they worried about retaliation for reporting misconduct.
• 41.2% said they feared they wouldn’t remain anonymous after reporting.
• 40.1% said they didn’t feel comfortable reporting on employees who were senior to them.
• 21% said they were afraid that reporting misconduct would hurt their team members.

According to the report’s authors, organizations must do more to show younger employees that they can trust their company. 

Data from Ethisphere’s report was gathered from respondents that included 12,454 Gen Z members, 84,259 millennials, 116,043 Gen Xers, and 37,569 baby boomers.