2026 Benchmark Guide: Manufacturing Whistleblowing & Survey Insights

1. Reports per 100 Employees

Does the manufacturing industry actually experience fewer incidents?

Manufacturing organizations receive a median of 1.10 Reports per 100 Employees, compared to 1.65 globally. Meaning that manufacturing organizations sit at roughly two-thirds of the global reporting volume benchmark.  

Some may be asking, does a lower reporting volume mean fewer incidents? Not necessarily. Manufacturing organizations are shaped by their frontline workers: shift-based schedules, dispersed operations and a lack of typical office set-ups make it harder for employees to actually report concerns. And it also makes it more challenging to keep those employees in the loop of existing reporting channels.  

Production pressure and changing supervisors might also contribute to a lack of trust in existing reporting channels and can create a culture where speaking up is not part of day-to-day operations. 

At first glance, it might seem that manufacturing organizations operate in a lower-reporting environment. But the question that needs to be asked is: Do manufacturing organizations have real visibility into workforce and operational risks?

How to calculate: Find the number that reflects all the reports gathered by all reporting channels, divide that number by the number of employees in the organization and then multiply it by 100. For this metric to accurately compare to the calculation we’ve provided, organizations should not exclude any reports, regardless of Intake Method, Risk Type, Substantiation Rate or Risk Category.

2. Risk Category spotlight

Workplace Conduct is the main concern for manufacturing organizations

Manufacturing organizations report a higher concentration of Workplace Conduct concerns than the global benchmark. The median percentage of Workplace Conduct reports in manufacturing is 59.2% of total reports, compared to 52.9% globally – that’s a difference of 6.3-percentage points.  

Given the working environment of manufacturing organizations, especially for frontline employees, it isn’t surprising that Workplace Conduct is the most reported risk category. Within the NAVEX Risk Categories, Workplace Conduct includes Harassment, Compensation and Benefits, Workplace Civility and Retaliation – risk types that can easily find their way into manufacturing environments and have an outsized impact on culture.  

Workplace Conduct, being the most-reported Risk Category, adds another dimension to the lower reporting volumes to consider for the manufacturing industry. Fear of retaliation remains one of the biggest obstacles to reporting, and reports concerning harassment or similar misconduct at the workplace are not likely to be reported if trust is missing or if reporting channels for frontline employees are difficult to access.  

The higher number of Workplace Conduct-related reports clearly shows that workplace culture and frontline dynamics lie at the heart of manufacturing organizations and are the issues that especially frontline employees really care about. 

How to calculate: First, ensure each report is sorted into one of the six Risk Categories or the 24 Risk Types as defined in the Hotline & Incident Management Benchmark Report. Then, divide the number of reports in each of the six categories by the total number of reports. Please note, when we are using the median for each category, the total won’t necessarily add up to 100%. In calculations involving Risk Category or Risk Types frequency, we categorize the reports and find the frequency among all reports without grouping by organization. Frequency values should total 100%, or close to it due to rounding.

3. Manufacturing is audit-oriented and process-driven when measuring program effectiveness

In our 2026 NAVEX Risk & Compliance Report survey, when asked how the effectiveness of ethics and compliance programs is measured, the top answer in the manufacturing industry aligns with the global benchmark: Review of compliance policies, procedures and practices, with a share of 69%. 

Manufacturing companies also place greater emphasis on a gap analysis to determine if particular areas of risk are not sufficiently addressed in policies, controls or training. With 54% in the manufacturing sector, this measure is 10-percentage points ahead of the global benchmark. 

The measure  used the least in manufacturing is feedback from leadership – with 44%, compared to 53% globally. 

These findings suggest that compliance functions in manufacturing organizations are operationally grounded, audit-oriented, and process-driven instead of leadership-driven when evaluating their ethics and compliance programs.

4. Top compliance challenges for manufacturing organizations

Manufacturing organizations report expanded responsibilities without additional resources as their biggest compliance challenge over the last 12 months. At 38%, this finding aligns with the global benchmark. Difficulty keeping up with new regulatory demands ranks second, cited by 37% of respondents, compared to 31% globally. 

These findings are particularly significant given the complex operating environment manufacturers face today. Ongoing supply chain disruptions, increased ESG scrutiny, labor oversight requirements, international operations, trade compliance obligations and workplace safety regulations are expanding the scope of compliance programs. As a result, compliance teams are being asked to manage a growing range of risks and regulatory expectations, often without a corresponding increase in resources. 

Interestingly, only 19% of manufacturing respondents find influencing organizational culture and ethics as a growing challenge, compared to 26% globally. This suggests that manufacturing organizations feel more confident in their ability to promote ethical behavior and reinforce a culture of integrity than organizations in other sectors.

5. Senior leadership takes a measured approach to risk in manufacturing

When asked about the behavior of senior leaders within manufacturing organizations, 51% responded that their senior leaders model proper behavior ,compared to the global average of 55%.  

However, manufacturing leaders are also perceived as less willing to accept compliance risks in pursuit of growth. The same 4-percentage point difference appears here: only 25% of respondents believe senior leaders tolerate greater compliance risks to achieve new business objectives or increased revenue, compared to 29% globally.

6. Which program activities are the most important for manufacturing organizations?

Program activity priorities in the manufacturing industry reflect the realities of a decentralized, frontline-heavy operating environment. Compliance teams often support geographically dispersed facilities, shift-based workforces, and complex supply chains while balancing production targets, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations.  

Training and awareness remains the top investment priority for both manufacturing organizations and the global benchmark (51% vs. 53%). This is unsurprising given the industry’s large frontline workforce, where consistent communication of policies, procedures and expectations remains critical across locations, shifts and operational roles.  

Internal investigations ranks second at 39%, 8-percentage points higher than the global average. Manufacturing organizations frequently manage issues related to workplace conduct, safety, labor practices, and operational compliance. These environments require strong investigative capabilities and coordination between compliance, HR, legal, and operational teams.  

Manufacturing organizations also place greater emphasis on third-party due diligence than organizations in other sectors (29% vs. 24%). Given their reliance on a vast number of suppliers, contractors and global supply chains, visibility into third-party risks is an especially critical component of their compliance and risk management.  

By contrast, culture and speak-up initiatives receive the lowest level of planned investment at just 19%, 6-percentage points below the already modest global benchmark of 25%. This finding aligns with the lower reporting volumes observed in the manufacturing industry.

7. How manufacturing is promoting a speak-up culture

When it comes to strengthening speak-up culture, manufacturing organizations are primarily focused on providing accessible reporting channels. Reporting channels with anonymous reporting features are the leading measure, cited by 57% or respondents, compared to 53% globally. 

Interestingly, despite culture and speak-up initiatives ranking as the lowest investment priority within manufacturing ethics and compliance programs, regular promotion of speak-up expectations in onboarding or training is the second most important measure at 54% – outperforming the global benchmark significantly. This suggests that manufacturing organizations may be taking a more operational approach to culture-building by embedding speak-up expectations into existing workforce training rather than investing in standalone culture initiatives. 

Given the sector’s reliance on suppliers, contractors and supply chains, facilitating a way for third parties to report misconduct in our system is another important measure, cited by 42% of respondents. 

Monitoring at-risk individuals, including investigation witnesses, for retaliation ranks lowest at 22%. This may present an opportunity for organizations looking to strengthen trust in reporting systems and encourage employees to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences.

8. Investigations take longer in manufacturing environments

Thirty-five percent of manufacturing respondents cite investigations take too long or stall without closure as one of the biggest challenges their speak-up culture is facing, compared to 28% globally.  

This finding is reinforced by data from the NAVEX 2026 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report. While the average case closure time across all industries is 28 days, manufacturing organizations require an average of 35 days to close a case.  

Although these metrics measure different aspects of investigations, the gap is noteworthy. Survey respondents perceive investigations as taking longer, and benchmark data confirms that manufacturing organizations do, in fact, close cases more slowly than the global average.

9. Visibility is key to strengthening speak-up culture in manufacturing

Increased visibility or accessibility of internal reporting channels is the most common action survey respondents at manufacturing organizations said they have taken over the last 12 months to strengthen their internal reporting culture. At 50%, it exceeds the global benchmark by 10 percentage points.  

This finding is particularly noteworthy given that reporting volumes across the manufacturing sector remain below the global average. Rather than accepting lower reporting rates as inevitable, manufacturing organizations are actively working to improve awareness and accessibility. The data suggest that many see greater visibility of reporting channels as a key lever for strengthening trust, increasing reporting activity, and building a stronger speak-up culture over time.