Federal employees who encounter suspected criminal activity or other wrongdoing on the job are now required to report it under a revised Department of Public Works code of conduct, following earlier research that found workers were reluctant to “rock the boat.”“Maintaining high ethical standards is central to what we do,” said the department's report, Addressing Misconduct And Wrongdoing 2025 To 2026.The department said it modernized its Code Of Conduct to make expectations clearer for employees and managers.“The Code Of Conduct was updated to clarify and modernize expectations in plain language, improving accessibility and strengthening the department’s ability to address ethical issues,” said the report.“It sets out expected behaviour for employees and managers and reinforces that a strong values and ethics foundation supports employees in identifying and navigating situations that could give rise to misconduct.”Blacklock's Reporter said employees who witness suspected criminal activity or other misconduct are required to complete Security Incident Reports.“Employees are required to identify and report suspected security incidents and breaches in the context of their work,” said the department.Incidents that must be reported can include criminal activity, property damage, information technology issues, lost assets and changes in an employee's personal circumstances involving criminal or financial matters.The department said employees must also report changes in behaviour that raise security concerns.Public Works confirmed 120 cases of wrongdoing during the past year, with three employees fired and another 59 suspended without pay. Forty-nine employees received reprimands.More than half of the confirmed cases involved administrative misconduct.Of the 120 cases, 61 involved issues including timesheet fraud, tardiness and insubordination.Other substantiated complaints included falsified expense claims, theft of government property, unauthorized access to or sharing of information, workplace harassment and illegal drug use..The mandatory reporting requirements follow a 2022 Public Sector Integrity Commissioner report that found federal workers were often reluctant to report suspected corruption or other wrongdoing.“The reality is the workplace culture is dominated by an attitude that no one should ‘rock the boat,’” said the report, Exploring The Culture Of Whistleblowing And The Fear Of Reprisal In The Federal Public Sector.Federal employees who participated in focus groups also complained that government efforts to promote accountability amounted to “virtue signaling or window dressing.”Fear of retaliation was identified as a major obstacle to reporting misconduct.“Nearly all participants said fear of reprisals for reporting a wrongdoing is a real concern,” said the report.Employees said potential reprisals could range from being shunned by colleagues to reassignment, heavier workloads and increased scrutiny of their work.Whistleblowers also feared being labelled untrustworthy or ultimately losing their jobs.“It was suggested reprisals are usually not so brazen or blatant as to involve outright termination but that this cannot be excluded as a possibility because reprisals might include looking for reasons to terminate a whistleblower,” said the report.
