What the data says, and what the experts make of it
Our inaugural annual report puts what HR leaders believe about workplace culture alongside what employees actually experience. Now, we're asking the people changing how organisations tackle workplace misconduct what they make of it. From employment lawyers and work psychologists to wellbeing researchers and culture change specialists, each conversation explores a different angle on the findings, and why the gap between perception and reality matters.
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The reality in numbers
We surveyed 1,060 UK employees about their experiences of workplace misconduct, and 300 senior HR professionals about how their organisations approach reporting and prevention and how prepared they are for upcoming changes to employment law. Mapping the two datasets together shows where what organisations believe about their culture and what employees actually experience don't line up, and where the biggest opportunities for change lie.
91%
Compliance confusion
91% of HR leaders say they could evidence compliance if challenged today, but many are missing the mark of what actually needs to be in place to demonstrate prevention. Hina Beliz, Partner in Employment Law at Excello Law comments: "In short, sharp summary: proactivity is the absolute key. Reactivity is history."
37%
The proactivity problem
57% describe their approach as proactive and preventative, but for 37% it's still reactive. Dr Judith Grant, Managing Director of the Wellbeing Exchange comments: "Being proactive is going to be cheaper for organisations in the long run."
57%
HR blind-spot
57% of employees who experienced bullying or harassment stay silent, and Dr Chloë Gough, Consultant Work Psychologist & Senior Inclusive Practice Lead at the Cabinet Office says: "There's often this hidden layer of mistreatment happening that they're just completely unaware of because of the paradox."
Meet the 'Culture Shifters'
Discover our collection of conversations unpacking what the report findings mean in practice, plus the career journeys shaping each perspective.
Why do employees stay silent about workplace misconduct, even when the personal cost of staying silent is high? Dr Chloë Gough, Consultant Work Psychologist & Senior Inclusive Practice Lead at the Cabinet Office, has spent over a decade researching why bullying and harassment interventions succeed or fail. In our conversation, she explains why organisations mistake wanting change for being ready to receive it, why psychological safety across UK workplaces remains poor, and why the true cost of misconduct is rarely calculated.
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When does compliance stop being enough to protect your organisation? Drawing on years of experience representing employees and advising organisations through discrimination, harassment and dismissal claims, Hina Belitz, Partner in Employment Law at Excello Law, tackles this question and more. Hina shares her take on the gap between what the law requires and what real justice looks like, the wave of legislative change reshaping employer obligations, and why waiting for a tribunal claim is the most expensive strategy an organisation can choose.
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What happens when an organisation has every policy in place but employees still don't feel safe to speak up? We sat down with Ben Moss to unpack this, and more - leveraging his 25 years specialising in workplace wellbeing and championing the power of creating more Good Days at Work. Ben is now Senior Research Leader in Workplace Health, Safety and Wellbeing at RAND Europe, and founder of the Business Wellbeing Expert where he helps clients develop compelling health & wellbeing (H&WB) propositions.
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What does it actually cost an organisation to wait until a problem escalates? Dr Judith Grant has spent two decades answering that very question in a range of workplaces, including time as Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing at Royal Mail Group and Director of Health and Wellbeing at Mace - and now as Managing Director of her own consultancy, The Wellbeing Exchange.
Why do employees feel less safe to speak up than HR leaders think they do? Christine Bonney, Head of Culture Transformation at Culture Shift, tackles this question and more, sharing her take on building a genuine speak-up culture, the hidden costs of a reactive culture, and why culture change initiatives commonly fail, drawing on years of frontline experience with vulnerable communities in the UK and the Middle East.
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Our research has been featured across leading industry outlets
Got a perspective to share?
The Culture Shifters series grows with every new voice. Whether you’re an employment specialist keeping pace with new legislation or a practitioner changing how your organisation responds to misconduct, we’d love to hear your take on the findings and the approaches you’re seeing make a difference. Fill in the form and we’ll get back to you.
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