When the world went into lockdown in early 2020, one of the main concerns for organizations was how the indefinite work-from-home conditions would affect business continuity.

How were colleagues going to communicate, collaborate and continue working as effectively as pre-pandemic times?

Although thought was surely given to how the digitized and decentralized workplace would affect employee behavior, professional conduct, and employee well-being, it was often secondary to the survival of businesses. Survive first, empathy second.

We wanted to explore the impact of that decision.

In Behavox’s Enterprise Conduct and Risk Report, 3,000 corporate professionals (1,000 each from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada) were surveyed about their experience of working from home during COVID-19, and the effect on employee stress levels, morale and corporate misconduct.

To ensure objectivity, we commissioned global market research firm, Provoke Insights to conduct the study in October, 2020.

The research methodology was designed to meet the standards expected by governing authorities. Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level, with a margin of error of +/- 3%.

Respondents, aged 22 – 65, worked at white-collar companies with over 100 employees. The digital surveys were completed anonymously to protect the integrity of the data.

Erkin Adylov, Founder and CEO of Behavox said: “The Behavox Enterprise Conduct and Risk Report is a reality check for HR teams and C-suites. The pandemic and distributed workforces certainly test their ability to protect morale, manage risk, and sustain business continuity.

“However, these findings ultimately reveal threats and risks that exist regardless of a pandemic or whether employees work at home or in the office. Judging by the findings, it is clear that there is work to be done.”

At times, the Report reveals some uncomfortable home truths, such as the 10% of respondents who admit they are aware of harassment (including racism, sexual harassment and bullying) occurring in the remote work environment, or the one in five who are confident their colleagues are watching pornography on work channels.

Other findings, such as the 8% of respondents who believe colleagues have willingly introduced a security threat at their company, or the 15% who think colleagues have broken security policies while working from home, should serve as stark reminders of the importance of ensuring rigorous corporate risk management strategies are in place.

Don’t miss the first instalment of the ECRR blog series out on February 9.

If you can’t wait until then, download the full Enterprise Conduct and Risk Report here.

Learn more about how Behavox Conduct can help protect your organisation from a company-ending crisis by watching the below video.