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.
Do you have a podcast (or do you want to)? Join the only network dedicated to compliance, risk management, and business ethics, the Compliance Podcast Network. For more information, contact Tom Fox at tfox@tfoxlaw.com.
Tag: Speak up culture
Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the Compliance Podcast Network. In this show, we discuss how to use your communications to drive a speak up culture.
Some of the highlights include:
- What is a Speak Up Culture?
- Define it as creating a social environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up to ask questions and report concerns and they know the options for doing that.
- Why is it so difficult to achieve?
- Intertwine it with training – which means its infrequent
- It’s usually boring and not particularly creative – dull posters
- They make it “inspirational” which often comes off as preachy or inauthentic
- Or perhaps they do a campaign but that campaign is once a year for a few weeks or worse, every other year.
- This is largely ineffective
- We’ve all heard the excuses.
- Grew up with – It’s not cool to tattle. Don’t be a snitch
- Nothing will happen anyway
- Someone else will probably take care of it
- I don’t want to get anyone in trouble
- I’m a no drama llama
- THEREFORE – you have to actually reverse this kind of thinking, which takes time.
- How can you establish trust?
- Comms are more important than training – continually promote and do so creatively so people pay attention and remember.
- Transparency – share what happens – in aggregate. Tell stories.
- Share the mechanics of the process
- Make personal connections – you and your team need face time
- Listen Up Culture – provide skills and resources for management – we do improv training to support that
- Can you do this in the new WFH environment?
- Sure. Comms are even more important.
- Commercials during zoom meetings
- Stories – discussion groups
- Talk Shows & Podcasts – to get your face out there, answering questions.
- Sure. Comms are even more important.
Resources:
Ronnie Feldman (LinkedIn)
Learnings & Entertainments (LinkedIn)
Ronnie Feldman (Twitter)
Learnings & Entertainments (Website)
60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable, quick-hitter “commercials” including songs & jingles, video shorts, newsletter graphics & Gifs, and more. Promote integrity, compliance, the Code, the helpline and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
Workplace Tonight Show! Micro-learning – a library of 1-10-minute trainings and communications wrapped in the style of a late-night variety show, that explains corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
Custom Live & Digital Programing – We’ll develop programming that fits your culture and balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery.
