Workers in the IT and telecoms industry are more prepared to blow the whistle on illegal activities in the office than any others, a new report suggests.
The report, released by BSA | The Software Alliance, looked at unethical and illegal practices in the office, relating mostly to the use of unlicensed and pirated software.
According to the report, 38 percent of UK workers would report their boss for such activities, jumping to 50 percent in the IT and telecoms industry. Out of 2,000 employees questioned, ten percent suspect their boss is up to no good. This figure jumps to 23 percent with workers in the IT and telecoms industry.
"With a third of workers willing to blow the whistle on illegal or unethical IT practices, businesses need to make sure their house is in order before it’s too late", says Sarah Coombes, managing director at BSA EMEA. "Our research shows that employees aren’t willing to put up with any practices that breaks laws or put their ethics into question. As a result we’ve seen a dramatic increase in whistleblower reports we’ve received in the last year".
What’s even more interesting is the fact that 42 percent said they’d do it for moral reasons, while just seven percent said they’d do it for a financial reward.
BSA encourages people to report unlicensed product use, and offers rewards for information which leads to a legal settlement. This year, BSA will launch the 2016 Fact or Fiction campaign, warning UK businesses about the dangers of using unlicensed software.
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