Last week the biennial National Ethics Report was released by the Ethics Resource Center.  To get your own (free) copy, go to [1] www.ethics.org.

This thorough and enlightening report details the current trends and factors forming our ethical work culture.  There are some intriguing findings, particularly for leaders:

Key Findings

• Misconduct witnessed by U.S. workers is now at historic lows (45% report observing some form of ethical misconduct), while reporting of misconduct is now at near record highs (65%).

• Retaliation against employee whistleblowers rose sharply to 22% (compared with 15% in ’09 and 12% in ’07).  When you tie this to the above-mentioned increase in reporting, there are clear implications for leaders and their organizations.

• The percentage of employees who perceived pressure to compromise standards in order to do their jobs climbed five points from 2009 to 13 percent.

• Two influences stood out in the unusual shift in trends: the economy and the unique experiences of those actively using social networking at work.

  • 34% say management watches more closely

  • 34% also have a negative view of their supervisor’s ethics (highest in 11 years)

  • 42% report there is a raised awareness about ethics in their organization

  • 30% say that offenders are laying-low until the economy improves

  • 50% of active social networkers report keeping a copy of a confidential document for their next job

  • 50% of active social networkers upload personal pictures on company time using company networks/servers

  • 46% of active social networkers copy software for use on a personal computer

  • 32% of active social networkers feel more pressure to compromise ethical standards