Companies with more internal reports and complaints benefit from lesser problems occurring inside. In his paper, Dr. Kyle Welch shared that overall litigation settlements of non-material matters dropped almost 20% over three years as well. It is, therefore, made clear that speak up culture is not simply about compliance and violations but building up the trust that it is safe to raise your hand and express concerns and give feedback.
Key points discussed in the episode:
✔️ Speak up culture is built on trust. Employees must trust that when they report wrongdoing, or potential misconduct, that those reports will be investigated and, if needed, actions will be taken. Without this trust, speak up culture is a pipe dream.
✔️ There is a disconnect between the employees on the front line and the senior management in most organizations; therefore, trust is part of the psychological safety that we all must work to create. Whistleblower policies and generic communications about hotlines are not good enough.
✔️ The middle managers are going to be the most influential culture builders in your organization. Create a model of engagement with middle managers – and engage with them. Hold town hall sessions, encourage transparency, and listen regularly. Remember, the flow of information and cadence is important.
✔️ Include as many ways as possible for people to reach out and speak up – formally and informally. Hotlines tend to be a “last resort,” and employees use them when they’ve exhausted other options. Let’s create opportunities to have concerns addressed faster and possibly less formally.
✔️ Be proactive – ask for feedback, concerns, and complaints. Open the lines of communication, so when there is something to report, it is already second nature for employees to report it.
✔️ Take concerns seriously and have a high say-do ratio. The basis for speak up culture is that we want employees to raise concerns. That means when they raise those concerns, we must do our part and act on them. Employees need to see things change as a result of their speaking up.
✔️ Make sure you have a clear anti-retaliation policy and that employees reporting concerns in good faith are not retaliated against.
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Welcome to SURVIVE AND THRIVE, the newest addition to the Compliance Podcast Network. This is a podcast where we unpack compliance, crisis disasters and walk you through all the red flags which appear, and give you some lessons learned going forward. This show is hosted by Compliance Evangelist Thomas Fox and Kortney Nordrum, Regulatory Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Deluxe Corporation.
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