Speaking Up

How willing employees are to call out misconduct is a bellwether for organizational culture itself.

The Silent Majority:

Employees Still Aren’t Speaking Up

Companies offer reporting through these channels:

99% Documented open-door policy for direct supervisors
99% Web-based reporting tool
95% Third-party maintained hotline
94% Documented open-door policy for executive management
91% Organization-wide reporting email account
82% Mailing address
57% App or mobile-specific reporting tool or platform
26% Ombudsperson

YET

The top four reporting options employees chose are human-based:

Immediate Managers

Human Resources

Manager's Manager

Ethics & Compliance

SPEAK-UP CULTURE IS BUILT THROUGH PEOPLE

Creating a culture where employees are willing to raise concerns is foundational to any effective ethics and compliance program. Encouragingly, the data shows that employees generally trust their organization to take concerns seriously and investigate them.

But trust in the process doesn’t always translate into action.

Many employees who observe misconduct choose not to report it—often due to fear of retaliation, concern about harming relationships, or skepticism about whether raising a concern will lead to meaningful change.

And while organizations offer multiple reporting channels, misconduct is overwhelmingly reported to people: direct managers, HR/E&C, and skip-level leaders. This underscores a crucial reality—speak-up culture is built through people.

To close the gap, organizations must empower managers to respond effectively, model transparency and accountability at every level, and create a workplace where speaking up is not only safe—but expected and valued.

Retaliation at a Glance

HOW THE PROGRAM OPERATES:

WHAT EMPLOYEES PERCEIVE:

IN PRACTICE

Organizations have these processes in place to detect and prevent retaliation:

89% Reminder to manager about behavior during investigations
67% Monitor change in job status
65% Process if reporter/witness facing involuntary termination
57% Follow-up with reporter to see if felt retaliation
44% Monitor change in performance evaluations, job assignments
12% Monitor sick day use

GREAT CULTURE IS MORE THAN A FEELING

Measuring Culture at Every Level:

Tone, Mood, and Buzz Matter

As more organizations integrate ethical culture questions into their employee surveys, they're taking important steps toward understanding where their culture stands. But data alone doesn’t change behavior.

Real progress comes when organizations act on what they learn—closing feedback loops, addressing fear of retaliation, and empowering managers to handle concerns with care and consistency.

That’s why it’s critical to assess and address culture at all levels: the tone at the top, the mood in the middle, and the buzz at the bottom. Speak-up culture isn’t just a metric to monitor. It’s a daily practice that lives or dies in the moment when an employee chooses if they will raise their hand—and in how the organization responds when they do.

How would you describe your organization’s current understanding of speak-up culture and retaliation?

Very limited – We haven't defined speak-up culture or retaliation clearly within our organization.
Basic awareness – There’s general understanding, but it’s not consistently discussed or prioritized.
Developing – We’ve started to define and communicate expectations, but understanding varies across teams.
Well understood – Speak-up culture and retaliation risks are clearly defined and integrated into our ethics and compliance efforts.
Embedded and proactive – We actively promote psychological safety, monitor retaliation risk, and support leaders in reinforce speak-up culture.