TalentLMS’ new survey reveals deep gaps between how protected employees feel and how organizations actually respond to misconduct, highlighting widespread fear, silence, and unequal accountability in today’s workplaces.
"Training influences how employees respond to situations they face at work," says Theoni Velkou, compliance manager and data protection officer at Epignosis, parent company of TalentLMS. "When compliance training reflects real workplace scenarios, it helps people recognize misconduct, understand what steps they can take, and feel more comfortable speaking up. That kind of practical training builds stronger trust across the organization."
Key takeaways:
· 71% say they feel protected at work. However, their experiences suggest otherwise.
- 36% witnessed and 33% experienced incivility or disrespect.
- 29% witnessed and 24% experienced professional or social exclusion.
- 25% witnessed and 21% experienced retaliation for speaking up.
- More than three in four employees (77%) say they would consider leaving their job if they didn’t feel protected, directly linking employees’ sense of safety to retention.
- Nearly two out of three (62%) employees agree that misconduct is more likely overlooked when the person involved is a top performer or leader.
- 45% say they’ve seen people promoted even after mistreating others.
- Nearly half (47%) say managers discourage employees from escalating harassment or discrimination complaints.
- 42% worry that speaking up will label them as “difficult.”
- Despite its prevalence, workplace misconduct often goes unreported, with 25% of employees saying they didn’t report incidents they witnessed or experienced. Employees cite believing reporting wouldn’t make a difference (56%) and fear of retaliation (36%) as the main reasons for staying silent.
- 60% of employees say compliance training has improved behavior in their workplace, but many say it falls short of reflecting workplace realities:
- 45% say compliance training is disconnected from real situations employees face at work.
- 36% believe better compliance training—focused on realistic scenarios and practical skills—would reduce misconduct at work.
- One in five employees received no compliance training in the past year, and only 33% received DEI training. Notably, 31% say they feel less protected as their company has pulled back from DEI initiatives.
