This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A survey of UK employees has revealed that more than half experience a mismatch between what their employer says and what they do in practice, with many looking to leadership behavior when judging an organization's true values. The research by Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University, surveyed more than 1,170 people working in medium-sized and large organizations across a range of sectors, including health care, education, finance and public services.
The paper is published in the Employee Relations: The International Journal. Workers were asked whether their employer lived up to its stated values, whether day-to-day behaviors matched diversity, equality and inclusion and well-being policies, and whether leaders' actions and hiring and promotion decisions reflected the values the organization claimed to have. The largest reported gap concerned well-being: 53% said there was either a strong contrast or some inconsistency between their workplace's well-being policies and what they experienced in everyday behavior.
Participants also felt that DEI policies didn't always match reality, with around 44% of employees reporting inconsistencies between diversity, equity and inclusion policies and everyday behavior at work. In addition, nearly one in five employees (19%) felt their organization's culture did not align with the values it promotes internally or externally. However, employees were most likely to trust organizational commitments to well-being and inclusion when they saw leaders' behavior, recruitment decisions and promotion practices reflecting those commitments in everyday working life.
The findings raise concerns about "HR whitewashing" in U.K. companies, where organizations make public commitments, but employees don't see meaningful behavioral or structural change. Zara Whysall, professor of business psychology at NBS, said, "These findings don't mean that organizations are deliberately misleading people. Instead, employees often perceive a disconnect between policies and reality—such as receiving well-being messages while struggling with an excessive workload or their employer publicly celebrating diversity and inclusion while promotion opportunities are perceived as unequal.
"This is because a policy is much easier to change than organizational culture, which requires consistent action from managers and leaders over time." Nadia K. Kougiannou, professor of work and employment relations, added, "A well-being or DEI policy has limited credibility if employees encounter workplace practices that contradict it. Managers and senior leaders should be assessed on how they put these commitments into practice, including how they manage workloads, address exclusionary behavior and make recruitment and promotion decisions." Zara Whysall et al., HR whitewashing: employee perceptions of policy-practice alignment in UK organisations, Employee Relations: The International Journal (2026).
DOI: 10.1108/er-01-2026-0016 BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile → Master's in physics with research experience.
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