London,
09
July
2018
|
15:46
Europe/London

CIPR welcomes Institute of Business Ethics ‘Ethics at Work’ report

A report by the Institute of Business Ethics shows a worrying drop from 81% in five years to 70%, in the number of UK employees who agree with the statement “my organisation acts responsibly in all its business dealings”. 64% of UK employees believe “my organisation lives up to its stated policy of social responsibility” down from 78% in 2012.

Only 54% of UK employees who are aware of misconduct would report it, although this is an improvement from the previous report in 2015. Pressures on staff to act unethically include ‘time pressure’ (34%) ‘following boss’s orders’ (29%) and ‘unrealistic business objectives and/or deadlines’ (23%).

However, the UK leads Europe in providing reporting mechanisms for misconduct, training on ethical standards and advice or information helplines and 78% of employees say their organisation acts with honesty.

For the first time the triennial report surveyed employees across eight European countries (the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland) on their thoughts, views and experiences of how ethics is practiced in their places of work. The report is free to download.

Jenni Field, CIPR Inside Chair
Being able to trust the organisation you work for is imperative for employee engagement. As internal communicators we are often championing the need for honest and open communication and part of this is ensuring there is authenticity throughout the business. Working with leaders to coach them around this issue is a key role for us and the report would suggest this is an untapped resource for leaders and organisations across the U.K.
Jenni Field, CIPR Inside Chair

The CIPR promotes ethical practice in the profession and amongst its members, all of which are bound by the Code of Conduct.

Notes to editors

About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) 

Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.

The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).