Disincentives to Reporting Sexual Harassment in Government Agencies: A Large-Scale Survey

This article investigates the factors that discourage employees from engaging in formal complaining behavior within government agencies, particularly in response to workplace misconduct such as sexual harassment. The data used in this study were obtained from the Merit Principles Survey (MPS) 2021, and covariance structure analysis (CSA) was applied to examine the relationships between variables. Guided by social identity theory (SIT), the study tests hypotheses related to perceived disincentives that may inhibit employees from submitting formal complaints. A key contribution of this research lies in its integrated analysis of three critical deterrents—non-disclosure agreements, non-disclosure policies, and the perceived seriousness of threats—which have not previously been examined collectively in the context of complaint behavior. The results offer valuable insights for public sector administrators aiming to foster transparent and responsive organizational cultures.