Every employee needs an anonymous way to report misconduct in the workplace.
Written by HRuprise founder, Rebecca Weaver.
When the concept of anonymous reporting first crossed my radar, I was skeptical.
As an HR professional, I believed in creating safe spaces for employees to report any issue. But how was I supposed to investigate or resolve a misconduct issue if I didn’t have all the details?
As a business leader, you may share these concerns. But I’m here to tell you, with all respect and sympathy, that I was wrong — and so are you.
Here’s why:
Anonymous reporting isn’t a substitute for regular reporting; it’s a substitute for not reporting at all.
The majority of workplace harassment goes unreported, usually because the targets are afraid they'll suffer retaliation if they speak up.
Abusers rely on this fear to keep their targets quiet.
Anonymous reporting helps targets feel safer speaking up, since it lowers the immediate risk to their job, their reputation, and their other workplace relationships.
Anonymity also gives them some control. They can choose how much to tell you, and they can opt-out of the conversation at any point.
This creates a sense of safety and self-protection, which makes targets more likely to start the conversation in the first place.
With anonymous reporting, you’ll get more information about what’s really happening in your workplace – and you’ll be able to do more about it.
You have nothing to lose except a little bit of control – and really, what good is control if you can’t use it to protect your teams?
We’ve partnered up with Spot, a digital misconduct reporting tool, to provide our Fractional HR members with an effective method for anonymous reporting.
Through Spot, employees can submit a report with as much or as little detail as they’re comfortable sharing.
Your dedicated HRuprise Coach will monitor and respond to these reports, and can even chat anonymously with the original reporter to seek additional information.
Depending on the situation, the coach will then advise the reporter on their options. They’ll outline the likely investigation procedures and potential outcomes.
The coach will also share the report with company leadership and recommend actions to take.
Whether an anonymous report leads to an investigation, a termination, or simply goes on file for future reference, there’s huge value in having that information, both for your employees’ safety and for your company’s health and reputation.
The emotional, social and professional consequences of reporting misconduct can be severe. We’ve seen this on a national scale with patriots like Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill, who told the truth about their abusers and suffered death threats for it.
These women represent countless others who’ve reported much less famous abusers and paid for it with their careers, their mental and physical wellbeing, and even their lives.
As leaders, we can’t realistically guarantee the safety and professional immunity of someone who chooses to report their abuser. Targets know this better than anyone. It’s the primary reason so many cases go unreported.
Anonymous reporting gives targets the power to decide for themselves how much risk they’re willing to take in order to hold their abusers accountable.
For targets who've had so much control taken from them, anonymous reporting is one of the greatest gestures of allyship and solidarity we can offer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: REBECCA WEAVER
Rebecca Weaver is the Founder and CEO of HRuprise, a marketplace that connects people with HR coaches to help them grow, develop, and navigate their toughest workplace challenges. LEARN MORE
