A recent survey conducted by Resume Now, a resume and cover letter building service, reveals a significant disconnect in workplace behavior regarding blame-shifting.
The "Dirty Moves in the Workplace Report" found that while 61 percent of workers report having been "thrown under the bus" at work, a striking 73 percent deny ever having done the same to a colleague. This contradiction highlights a pervasive issue in workplace dynamics, where blame-shifting and sabotage are common yet often unacknowledged behaviors.
The survey, which included over 1,000 U.S. respondents in February 2025, shows that 63 percent of workers have witnessed such behavior, with nearly a third observing it at least weekly.
Peers are most frequently identified as the culprits (64 percent), followed by teammates (37 percent) and direct managers (26 percent). The most common tactics include blaming others for mistakes (26 percent), sharing negative information with leadership (21 percent), withholding helpful information (10 percent), and deliberately setting someone up to fail (six percent).
Motivations behind these actions are largely self-serving. Nearly half of the respondents cited protecting their own reputation (47 percent) and avoiding consequences (45 percent) as primary reasons. Others admitted to doing it to advance their careers (40 percent) or gain favor with leadership (40 percent). Interestingly, generational differences also emerged: Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to be perceived as engaging in this behavior compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers. However, almost half of the respondents believe this issue spans all age groups, indicating that it's a systemic problem rather than one confined to specific generations.
Keith Spencer, a career expert at Resume Now, emphasized the damaging effects of such toxic behaviors on team morale and productivity. He stressed the importance of cultivating healthier, more supportive workplace cultures to counteract these trends.
Source: https://www.prweb.com/releases/survey-finds-61-of-workers-have-been-thrown-under-the-bus-at-work-yet-73-deny-doing-it-themselves-302386980.html
So, the question for our readers is: Do Employees Throw Other Employees Under The Bus? You Make The Call
Here is the opinion of one of the McCalmon editorial staff:
Jack McCalmon, Esq. (Jack, fill in please)
Of course, some employees will throw other employees under the bus. As a manager, you should promote an atmosphere that recognizes that mistakes will be made and that learning from, and not repeating mistakes, is more important than apportioning blame.
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