The Culture Shifters Annual Report
Nine in 10 HR leaders believe that employees in their organisation feel safe to speak up about workplace misconduct, yet almost 60% of employees choose not to report bullying or harassment last year. Our inaugural Culture Shifters report explores the gap between perception and reality and what the organisations that are actively shifting culture and proactively addressing workplace misconduct are doing differently. Download your copy to discover:
The perception gap that's putting you at risk: why HR leaders feel confident and employees stay silent
What "audit-ready" really means, and why most organisations can't prove compliance despite believing they can
The hidden cost of reactive culture: how much time and budget misconduct is quietly consuming
Why junior staff have given up speaking up, and what that silence is storing up for later
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Inside the report
In January 2026, we surveyed 1,060 UK adults in part- or full-time employment to understand employee experiences of workplace misconduct. Then, throughout April and May 2026 we surveyed 300 senior HR professionals to explore how organisations are approaching misconduct, reporting and prevention.
By mapping the two datasets together, our report reveals the gaps between what organisations believe about their culture and what employees actually experience, as well as where the biggest opportunities for meaningful change lie.
Key findings
- 91% of HR professionals believe employees feel ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ safe to report misconduct
- Yet, 57% of employees don’t report bullying or harassment
- 57% of HR leaders say their organisation has a proactive/preventative approach to misconduct…
- …but for over a third (37%) it’s still reactive
- 58% of HR professionals say they consistently monitor what happens to employees after they report a conduct concern
- 41% consistently aggregate and analyse misconduct/speak up data to identify patterns
- 87% say they are exposed to risk arising from workplace misconduct, with 1 in 5 HR leaders rating their organisation as ‘highly’ exposed
- 1 in 10 are spending more than a day a week dealing with misconduct issues
- Just 32% of HR professionals have a dedicated budget for misconduct reporting
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Key research themes
The speak up gap
Nine in ten HR professionals believe that their people feel safe to report concerns, with nearly half saying that they think employees feel ‘very safe’ to do so. But when we put this alongside our employee research, a very different story emerges. Almost three in five employees who experienced bullying, harassment or sexual harassment during the past year choose not to report it, with more than a third saying it simply wasn’t worth the personal risk. This reveals a significant disconnect between HR perception and employee reality.
There’s also a significant confidence gap across seniority levels. Junior employees are twice as likely as senior leaders to believe that speaking up is ‘pointless’ because nothing meaningful will be done (54% vs 27%).
The compliance countdown
With the Employment Rights Act requiring organisations to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment from October 2026, we asked HR leaders how prepared they feel. The headline figure is reassuring - 91% said they could evidence compliance if challenged today.
But a more complicated picture emerged when we dug deeper, with many lacking meaningful audit-ready evidence. Just half have clear reporting processes in place, fewer than four in ten (39%) regularly share reporting data with the board, and just 38% have completed comprehensive risk assessments.
The gap between confidence and audit-ready evidence is one of the most striking findings in this report. With 87% of organisations acknowledging some level of risk from workplace misconduct, building robust, demonstrable compliance isn’t just a legal exercise anymore but a business-critical one.
Moving from reactive reporting to proactive prevention
More than half of HR professionals (57%) describe their organisation’s approach to misconduct as proactive and preventative but for over a third (37%), it’s still reactive - responding to issues as they surface rather than working to prevent them.
The data also shows that many organisations aren’t yet making full use of the information they’re collecting. Only 41% say they consistently gather and analyse misconduct or speak up data to identify patterns, and just 43% say insights from reporting are used to inform preventative action. This presents a real opportunity for organisations to shift from reactive reporting to proactive prevention – addressing concerns and making changes before reports potentially become formal complaints or lead to external fallout.
Gemma McCall, co-founder and CEO, Culture Shift:
“Workplace bullying and harassment have moved up the national agenda significantly in recent years and policy and regulation are now catching up. But legislation alone can’t change culture - that has to come from within. This report looks at the true scale of the misconduct challenge in the workplace right now and what organisations can do in practice to create meaningful change.”
Whether you’re just getting started or already doing meaningful work in this space, our report is full of data, insight and practical takeaways to help you build a safer, compliant workplace.
Download your copy
FAQs
Questions? We've got answers.
HR leaders, People teams, and anyone responsible for workplace culture, conduct, or compliance - whether you're just starting to address misconduct or already have processes in place.
We surveyed 1,060 UK employees in January 2026 on their experiences of workplace misconduct, then 300 senior HR professionals in April–May 2026 on how their organisations approach reporting and prevention. Mapping the two datasets together reveals where perception and reality diverge.
Yes, simply fill in the form above and the full report will be sent straight to your inbox.
We'd love to hear from you. If you're already driving change in your organisation, or want to share your thoughts on the report's findings, email us at hello@culture-shift.co.uk - we're always keen to hear what others are working on.
Still have questions?
The ever-changing regulatory landscape can be tricky to navigate - we're here to guide you through what your organisation needs to do to stay compliant and protect your people.
Your partner in preventing workplace misconduct
Misconduct rarely starts as a headline issue - it starts with something small that goes unaddressed. Culture Shift helps organisations surface concerns early, respond consistently, and embed long-term cultural change through our Report + Support™ platform, trauma-informed training programmes, and community-led best practice.
