Employee experiences reveal significant gaps in how organizations handle misconduct, with fear of retaliation and unequal accountability driving silence, according to a new TalentLMS survey.
Highlights from the survey of 1,000 U.S. employees:
Misconduct is common: 36% of respondents witnessed (and 33% experienced) incivility or disrespect, while 29% witnessed (and 24% experienced) professional or social exclusion.
Reports of retaliation were also common: 25% of respondents said they witnessed retaliation, while 21% experienced retaliation for speaking up.
Unequal accountability fuels mistrust: 62% believe misconduct is more likely overlooked when top performers or leaders are involved, while 45% have seen people promoted even after mistreating others.
Fear is stifling reporting: 25% of employees didn't report misconduct they witnessed or experienced, citing belief that reporting wouldn't make a difference (56%) and fear of retaliation (36%) as main reasons. Nearly half (47%) say managers discourage employees from escalating harassment or discrimination complaints, and 42% worry speaking up will label them as "difficult."
Training is disconnected from reality: 45% of respondents said compliance training is disconnected from real situations employees face, and 36% believe better training focused on realistic scenarios would reduce misconduct.
Read more via TalentLMS
A new report by Catalyst found that “employers that offer less flexibility risk losing working caregivers.”
Highlights from Catalyst's survey of women who left the workforce last year:
42% of women who left their roles voluntarily said they did so due to "caregiving responsibilities, including the cost of childcare."
18% of women who chose to leave their role voluntarily "reported dissatisfaction with pay as a contributing factor."
Women who chose to leave their roles were “more likely than women who remained to have worked in organizations without flexible schedules (37% vs 22%).”
Our data clearly shows that women are not necessarily opting out of the workforce…It’s rather that they’re torn between these caregiving responsibilities and these rigid work schedules.”
Read more via HR Brew, Catalyst
Employers are anticipating an uptick in turnover in 2026, according to a new Express Pros Job Seeker Report based on a poll conducted by Harris Poll.
Highlights from the Harris Poll survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults:
Turnover expectations increased "from 39% in fall 2024 and 33% in fall 2023 to an eye‑catching 50% in 2026."
The cost of turnover is expected to increase by "nearly" $10,000, to a total of $45,236 per employee, up from $36,723 in 2025.
Leaders at large employers are the most concerned, with 64% of organizations that employ in excess of 500 employees expecting "turnover to rise."
Employers that are expecting higher turnover this year were asked what they believe is driving it. 37% believe turnover will be driven by "increased workplace demands," while 35% "cite a competitive job market." 32% expect turnover to be driven by "better pay and benefits offered elsewhere," and 29% "expect more employees to switch careers."
Read more via PR Newswire
The state's biotech industry is currently experiencing a sharp downturn. With venture capital funding at an eight-year low and federal grants being terminated by the Trump administration, Ph.D. graduates are left applying to hundreds of jobs without success.
Job losses have accelerated: Massachusetts saw its roughly 65,000 biotech research-and-development jobs decline in 2024 after years of growth, with losses continuing through at least June 2025 while hiring remains slow.
Lab vacancy reaches crisis levels: By the end of September, nearly 28% of greater Boston's laboratory space sat empty. In Cambridge's Kendall Square (a hub of biotech activity), 17% of lab space is now vacant, compared to just 0.4% in 2021.
Venture funding hits eight-year low: Venture capital in the first half of 2025 reached its "lowest point since the same period in 2017."
Federal funding uncertainty compounds crisis: The Trump administration has terminated millions of dollars in active Massachusetts grants this year.
Ph.D. graduates face brutal job market: Recent graduates say they have applied to hundreds of positions without offers. Some are relying on government food assistance, working part-time jobs outside their field, or considering relocating to China, where biotech recruiters say the industry is still hiring.
Read more via The Wall Street Journal
