by HRHQ Editorial Team
Employees in Ireland are among the strictest in the world towards ethically questionable practices. In a survey by IBE in conjunction with Compliance Institute as a national partner, workers in Ireland were less likely than the global average to find each of the eight questionable workplace actions, outlined in the survey, acceptable (34pc vs 39pc).
The seventh triennial Ethics at Work: 2024 International Survey of Employees was carried out by the Institute of IBE in conjunction with the Compliance Institute in Ireland, and polled 12,000 employees in 16 countries over four continents. A total of 750 of those surveyed were in Ireland. In exploring factors shaping employees’ perceptions of workplace ethics, it revealed that eight in ten Irish employees view nepotism as unacceptable and disapprove of taking disingenuous sick days. More than nine in ten (93pc) condemn making sexual advances towards a colleague, and seven in ten (69pc) are against taking company stationery from work for personal use.
Attitudes Towards Workplace Behaviours
The Ethics Survey examined a range of workplace behaviours, from minor infractions to more serious ethical breaches. Additional findings included:
- Nine in ten employees (87pc) disapprove of charging personal entertainment to company expenses, and 83pc reject claiming company fuel for personal use. However, men are generally more likely than women to view such actions as acceptable, with 17pc of men comfortable claiming company fuel for personal use (compared to 13pc of women) and 12pc of men approving of charging personal entertainment expenses, versus just 7pc of women.
- The overwhelming majority of employees (93pc) believe making sexual advances towards colleagues is unacceptable, with 84pc saying it is completely inappropriate. A small but notable 6pc of men find this acceptable, compared to 3pc of women.
- Almost half (47pc) believe using the office printer for personal reasons is wrong. More women than men are inclined to accept these minor infractions.
- The research highlighted that younger workers are generally more likely to find certain behaviours acceptable compared to their older counterparts. 23pc of those aged 18-34 view taking dishonest sick days as acceptable, compared to just 5pc of those aged 55 and above. Similarly, one in five (20pc) workers aged 18-34 are comfortable favouring family or friends when awarding contracts, compared to less than one in ten (8pc) of those aged 55+.
Workplace Honesty
The perception of workplace honesty in Irish workplaces has slightly declined over the past three years. In 2021, 86pc of employees believed honesty was frequently practised in their place of work, but by 2024, that number had dropped to 83pc. This is slightly below the global average of 84pc. Notably, India is seen as having the most honest workplaces (91pc), while the Netherlands (77pc) ranks the lowest.
- The research found that men are more likely than women to believe that honesty is frequently practised at work, with 86pc of men agreeing compared to 81pc of women.
- Older workers (55+) are more likely to believe honesty is always practised (39pc) compared to their younger counterparts (32pc) aged 18 to 34.
- Those in managerial roles (38pc) are more inclined to believe that honesty is “always” practised compared to those in non-managerial positions (32pc).
Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute, spoke of the findings,
“The research findings reflect a deeply ingrained commitment to ethical standards among employees, which is vital for the integrity of Irish workplaces. What stands out most is not just the strong opposition to more obvious ethical breaches like nepotism and inappropriate advances, but the heightened awareness around everyday actions such as the misuse of company resources. These are behaviours that, though seemingly minor, can erode trust and create a culture of dishonesty if left unchecked.”
