Quarter of Polish workers would act unethically for pay rise: report

The report said the European average is about one in seven but Poland was closer to Western European countries known for high anti-corruption standards than to its neighbours in Central and Eastern Europe.

According to the report, Poland’s “Gen Y” – people born between 1980 and the mid-1990s – were the most likely to act unethically.

EY’s Mariusz Witalis said they would be inclined, for instance, to bribe a client to help the company.

However, among Polish employees aged over 45, only about ten percent would turn a blind eye to unethical practices.

Witalis said this reflected the current business market.

“It seems that the situation can be tied to the younger generation entering the job market, and general instability,” he said.

“Currently, companies need to be growing all the time, they have very aggressive sales targets. If we consider [high] unemployment among youth – it causes… them to act unethically, they just want to keep their jobs,” he added.

Meanwhile, a large number of people in the same study were strongly against corruption – 13 percent of those polled said they had quit in objection to corrupt practices, and a further 48 percent had considering quitting. (vb/pk)

Source: IAR