Do Employees Feel Protected at Work? TalentLMS Survey Reveals Gaps Driven by Fear and Unequal Accountability

62% of employees say misconduct is more likely overlooked when top performers or leaders are involved.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, today released a new survey revealing deep gaps between how protected employees feel and how organizations actually respond to misconduct, highlighting widespread fear, silence, and unequal accountability in today's workplaces.

Based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. employees, 71% say they feel protected at work. However, their experiences suggest otherwise. The data show that workplace misconduct is common across organizations:

• 36% witnessed and 33% experienced incivility or disrespect.
• 29% witnessed and 24% experienced professional or social exclusion.
• 25% witnessed and 21% experienced retaliation for speaking up.

Why this matters: The findings also point to significant business risk. More than 3 in 4 employees (77%) say they would consider leaving their job if they didn't feel protected, directly linking employees' sense of safety to retention.

Unequal Accountability Fuels Fear and Silence

A lack of fair consequences appears to be a major driver of mistrust:

• Nearly two out of three (62%) employees agree that misconduct is more likely overlooked when the person involved is a top performer or leader.
• Forty-five percent say they've seen people promoted even after mistreating others.
• Nearly half (47%) say managers discourage employees from escalating harassment or discrimination complaints.
• Forty-two percent worry that speaking up will label them as "difficult."

Despite its prevalence, workplace misconduct often goes unreported, with 25% of employees saying they didn't report incidents they witnessed or experienced. Employees cite believing reporting wouldn't make a difference (56%) and fear of retaliation (36%) as the main reasons for staying silent.

Training Builds Trust, but Gaps Limit Its Effectiveness

Training seems to remain a credible lever for change. Sixty percent of employees say compliance training has improved behavior in their workplace, but many say it falls short of reflecting workplace realities:

• 45% say compliance training is disconnected from real situations employees face at work.
• 36% believe better compliance training—focused on realistic scenarios and practical skills—would reduce misconduct at work.

Access to training is also uneven: One in 5 employees received no compliance training in the past year, and only 33% received DEI training. Notably, 31% say they feel less protected as their company has pulled back from DEI initiatives.

"Training influences how employees respond to situations they face at work," said Theoni Velkou, Compliance Manager & Data Protection Officer at Epignosis (parent company of TalentLMS). "When compliance training reflects real workplace scenarios, it helps people recognize misconduct, understand what steps they can take, and feel more comfortable speaking up. That kind of practical training builds stronger trust across the organization."

Overall, the survey data point to systemic gaps in employee safety and compliance readiness. TalentLMS supports U.S. organizations in this area through its U.S. HR Compliance Bundle offered in partnership with EasyLlama.

Read the survey: https://www.talentlms.com/research/workplace-misconduct-report

About TalentLMS

TalentLMS is the easiest-to-use learning management system (LMS) for companies that want to launch training quickly, prove value sooner, and turn learning into a driver of success. Designed for growing businesses, it combines simplicity with AI-powered tools, a complete set of course content options, and built-in reporting — putting impactful learning within reach for all. Trusted by over 22 million learners in 12,000+ organizations worldwide, TalentLMS helps companies train employees, partners, and customers — fueling growth for your business at every step.

SOURCE TalentLMS