Express Employment Professionals’ America Employed and Canada Employed series explore the state of employment in North America, including everything from hiring expectations and HR challenges to job seekers’ optimism and shrinking the skills gap. Learn about the latest insights uncovered in a recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey.
Job seekers in the U.S. and Canada are concerned about workplace professionalism, and employees agree they also struggle with knowing when and where to be open and honest.
Beyond honesty, U.S. job seekers hold onto taboos that are more about irresponsible actions than dishonesty.
The top taboos include getting drunk during work hours (74%), having an alcoholic beverage at work (65%), using recreational drugs during work hours (65%), gossiping about colleagues (51%), gossiping about managers (51%), and dating a manager or senior executive (52%).
The survey revealed:
The stakes are particularly high for younger workers with U.S. hiring managers (91%) believing it’s crucial for younger generations to learn the nuances of honesty in the workplace. Forty-eight percent strongly agree with this sentiment.
The most common taboos U.S. job seekers admit to are surprisingly mundane. Swearing at work (45%), making personal calls or using social media during work hours (42%), discussing salary/wages (33%), and crying at work (29%) are the top confessions, painting a picture of everyday challenges in the workplace.
Half of Canadian companies (50%) say employees can be “too honest” at work, and (45%) of companies say employees don’t know when or where it is appropriate to be honest in the workplace.
For example, sharing too much personal information about themselves or a colleague (59%), criticizing the company or colleagues (59%), gossiping or spreading rumours (53%), and venting about colleagues (50%).
According to the survey:
- Being too honest or acting unprofessionally at work can have serious consequences, with (62%) of companies saying it will damage an employee’s professional reputation.
- Boomers and Gen X hiring managers are also more likely than millennials and Gen Z to say that it is unacceptable to get drunk at work (81% vs 66%), take recreational drugs during work hours (74% vs. 55%), use company resources for personal use (69% vs. 43%), and swear in the workplace (44% vs 34%).
Read more about the latest employment insights in America Employed at ExpressPros.com and Canada Employed at ExpressPros.ca.
Last Updated on December 2, 2024
