NBES Key Findings

• Misconduct witnessed by U.S. workers is now at historic lows, while reporting of misconduct is now at near highs.
• Retaliation against employee whistleblowers rose sharply.
• The percentage of employees who perceived pressure to compromise standards in order to do their jobs climbed five points from 2009 to 13 percent.
• The share of companies with weak ethics cultures also climbed to near record levels.
• Two influences stood out in the unusual shift in trends: the economy and the unique experiences of those actively using social networking at work.
• NBES continues to show that companies behave differently during economic difficulties. The decisions and behaviors of their leaders are perceived by employees as a heightened commitment to ethics. As a result, employees adopt a higher standard of conduct for themselves.
• As the economy gets better – and companies and employees become more optimistic about their financial futures – it seems likely that misconduct will rise and reporting will drop, mirroring the growth in pressure and retaliation that have already taken place and conforming to historic patterns.
• Active social networkers report far more negative experiences in their workplaces. As a group, they are much more likely to experience pressure to compromise ethics standards and to experience retaliation for reporting misconduct than co-workers who are less involved with social networking.
• Active social networkers show a higher tolerance for certain activities that could be considered questionable.
• There may be an opportunity for corporations to work with active social networkers in ways that they have not yet fully explored. Active social network- ers are somewhat more likely to use social networks to say positive things about their company and co-workers, than to post negative feelings.