New research from HR Acuity has revealed a sharp rise in workplace misconduct and harassment cases across the US in 2025, with more employees reporting concerns but nearly one in four still choosing to stay silent.
The survey of 2,043 US employees found that 55% had either experienced or witnessed workplace misconduct this year, marking a 14-point increase from 2024. The findings come after years of employer investment in workplace policies, employee training and stronger employee relations processes following the MeToo movement, which had helped reduce misconduct rates over the past five years.
The latest data suggests organisations are now facing more complicated workplace investigations, increasing pressure on HR and employee relations teams. According to the report, 38% of employees dealing with misconduct encountered four or more separate issue types, up 14 points year-on-year. The study also highlighted gaps in reporting culture among office-based staff, hourly workers and employees concerned about retaliation.
The report found that 78% of employees who experienced or witnessed misconduct reported it, while 75% of reported cases were investigated and resolved, up 16 points from 2024. Among resolved cases, 90% of employees said the outcome was fair. However, 22% of affected employees still did not report incidents.
“The findings confirm that employee relations have made great strides to mitigate risk related to workplace harassment and misconduct. Not only is misconduct rampant, but employees feel more empowered to speak up and are increasingly using AI to help report concerns, contributing to greater case complexity," said Deb Muller, founder and CEO, HR Acuity.
He added, “In order to create lasting change, the challenge for employee relations is now two-fold: to effectively handle greater volume and more complex investigations at scale and to dig into their data to understand and reach the 22% of employees who still don't speak up.”
The research also showed that misconduct was most common in office environments, where 67% of employees experienced or witnessed issues, yet office workers reported incidents at a lower rate than remote employees. Hourly workers were among the least supported, with only 63% reporting misconduct concerns and just 61% of those complaints being investigated. Awareness of anonymous reporting tools also remained limited, with only 56% of employees aware such options existed. Fear of retaliation continued to be a major barrier, cited by 46% of employees who chose not to report misconduct.
Looking ahead, the findings suggest employers may need to strengthen awareness around reporting channels, improve protections against retaliation and equip HR teams to manage increasingly complex investigations as workplace reporting volumes continue to rise.