Over three fifths (63%) of managers have been expected to behave unethically at some point in their career, according to research published by the Institute of Leadership & Management and Business in the Community.

The findings are interesting from a legal point of view, as management pressure may have a bearing on some employment disputes, such as constructive dismissal claims, or whistleblowing cases.

The report, ‘Added values: The importance of ethical leadership’, found that 9% of managers have been asked to break the law at work at some point in their career, while one in ten have left their jobs as a result of being asked to do something that made them feel uncomfortable.

This is in spite of 77% of managers believing that, since 2008, the general public’s expectations of UK organisations’ ethical behaviour have risen.

In the survey of over 1,000 managers across the public and private sectors, 83% said their organisation had a values statement but over two fifths (43%) had been pressured to behave in direct violation of it, with 12% of managers saying that the correlation between employee behaviour and company values was not close ‘at all’ in their workplace.

In addition, over a quarter (27%) of respondents were concerned that their career would suffer if they were to report an ethical breach, with whistleblowing fears higher amongst more junior managers (17% of whom were certain of experiencing negative consequences) than directors (9%).

Contact our Solicitors in Glasgow

If you need help in dealing with an employment dispute, contact us today on 0141 433 2626 or click here to fill out our online enquiry form. We look forward to hearing from you.