COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The State of Workplace Injustice Report, commissioned by Anton Gunn and 937 Strategy Group, was released today, showing that despite the high rates of workplace injustice in the past year (66% of participants experienced injustice) and its significant impact, an alarming amount of employers (83%) took no action when their employees experienced injustice. This quantitative and qualitative study provides in-depth analysis on the prevalence of various forms of workplace mistreatment and bystander behavior in the workplace, the impact mistreatment has on employees and associated costs to organizations, and the prevalence of reporting workplace mistreatment and associated responses from organizations.
While the American workplace has changed drastically in the past 30 years, leaders and managers have continued to create work environments that rob employees of dignity, respect, and equity when it comes to promotions, pay raises, and other opportunities based on job performance in the workplace. Regarding the prevalence of workplace injustice, key findings from The State of Workplace Injustice Report include:
- 66% of participants experienced workplace injustice in the past year and 23% experienced it monthly.
- 83% of employers took no action when employees experienced injustice. Among the employees who did report, 92% did not experience a positive outcome after reporting.
- Undermining and harassment were linked to significant financial impacts, contributing to 12% of turnover intentions, which translates to $24.6 million in costs for a 5,000-person organization.
The workplace outcomes impacted by injustice include disengagement (when employees mentally, emotionally, and behaviorally quit on their job), turnover intention and counterproductive workplace behavior (delaying work, using sick days, breaking rules). The report broke down the categories of mistreatment and most notably found that bystander behavior and undermining account for 42% of counterproductive workplace behavior. Injustice experiences of workplace abuse and undermining account for a total of 26% of workplace disengagement.
The report investigates the financial impact of injustice for organizations and the US economy, finding that American employers are losing a staggering $777.9 billion due to employee disengagement, with an additional $136.8 billion directly attributable to turnover tied to workplace injustices – totaling over $914.7 billion as the cost of toxic workplaces.
“From working hard to improve the experience of federal employees during my time as a presidential appointee for the Obama Administration to my work as chief diversity officer at a large healthcare organization, now as a strategic advisor, I’ve seen the negative impact of these report findings across industries,” said Anton Gunn, CEO of 937 Strategy Group. “I commissioned this report as a wakeup call to organizations that workplace injustice is preventable and must be addressed in order to improve employee wellbeing and ultimately, drive productivity and success for employers.”
The study closes with research-based, tangible recommendations for organizations to maximize reporting and increase organizational action when injustice is reported. To view The State of Workplace Injustice Report and actions that organizations can take to address injustice in the workplace, visit http://workplaceinjusticereport.com/.
Anton Gunn, MSW, CDM, CSP, commissioned this scientific study. Anton began his career in the non-profit sector to improve the outcomes and experiences of low-income people who consumed financial, government, educational, and healthcare services. His goal and mission were to identify problems, work for solutions, and ultimately improve the experience for the everyday consumer.
In 2011, during Barack Obama's presidency, Anton became a Presidential Appointee at the US Department of Health and Human Services. In that position, he became familiar with the pervasiveness of mistreatment and disrespect of civil service employees at all levels of government.
As a Keynote Speaker and Leadership and Workplace Culture Expert, his motivation is to help leaders build diverse, high-performing teams in a world-class workplace where no one wants to quit and everyone thrives. “I believe that we all should live in a place and work in a place where we feel valued, respected, included, and visible, but most notably, in a culture that is full of justice, fairness, equity, and improvement.” Anton has commissioned and supported this comprehensive study in pursuit of this passion.
937 Strategy Group (Nine Thirty-Seven) is a nationally certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) that offers best-in-class solutions for leadership development, human capital strategy, diversity and inclusion, and corporate culture transformation services. 937 Strategy Group provides a complimentary Workplace Culture Assessment for senior executives and board members.
