Building Trust and Accountability: The Critical Role of Secure Reporting Systems in the Modern Workplace

In today’s ethically-conscious workplace environment, fostering a culture of trust, openness, and accountability is not just beneficial – it’s essential. To fully support HR professionals in this mission, an efficient, tech-forward solution must be implemented. Robust third-party software solutions offer a pathway for employers to securely and confidentially gather reports and information and streamline investigations and resolutions while mitigating overall risk and supporting organizational reputations and costs.

The High Cost of Workplace Retaliation

With workplace retaliation historically costing organizations more than $20 million, implementing a secure and effective reporting system can help mitigate costly financial risk and build a community of trust amongst employees. Today’s HR professionals strive to create more inclusive workplaces free of toxicity, and it is becoming increasingly evident that organizations must take a proactive approach to help all employees feel valued and comfortable to use their voices.

When toxicity is rooted within an organization, it can expose the organization to a variety of risks, while also decreasing employee performance and harming the employee experience. Additionally, creating a workplace where employees feel valued can not only increase employee engagement, but also impact a variety of organizational factors, such as retention, turnover, referrals, and overall productivity. Through a proactive approach to building trust and accountability with reporting solutions that make it easy and safe to effectively report any issues, tension caused from fear of retaliation can decrease, protecting employee morale, engagement, and an organization’s bottom line.

The Importance of Trust and Openness

When workplace misconduct occurs – be it harassment, discrimination, or other inappropriate behavior – a common question is, “Why wasn’t it reported sooner?” While the incident itself may be shocking, the surrounding silence often perplexes employers.

Research shows that 52% of employees have either experienced or witnessed inappropriate behavior at work. Yet, a substantial 58% of these individuals chooses to remain silent. Why is this the case? Many fear their concerns will be downplayed, face retaliation, or jeopardize their job security. Additionally, insufficient support and resources can contribute to this reluctance, leading employees to feel it’s “easier” to ignore the problem.

It also is an unfortunately common sentiment among employees that speaking up will lead to no meaningful action from their organization. They might have observed previous instances where misconduct was ignored or believe that the individual responsible holds too much power and influence for any consequences to be enforced.

When leaders prioritize a transparent workplace culture, address incidents and allegations, and act, employees are not only more loyal to the brand and, in general, more satisfied but they are more likely to voice their concerns or share their observations, without the fear of retaliation. Reporting systems in the age of the modern workplace can reinforce a transparent workplace culture and help organizations protect employees while also mitigating their own risk.

The Role of Secure Reporting Systems

In addition to impartiality, third-party reporting solutions are designed to address a variety of reporting needs and provide key features and benefits to organizations, such as anonymity, data security, and ease of use. Moreover, a secure and comprehensive reporting system that aligns with legal requirements and ethical standards, can remove the burden and mitigate the risk that organizations face, while also maintaining the cultural health of the organization.

Having a system and processes in place where employees feel they can safely report concerns and receive an unbiased investigation is one of the best ways to mitigate risks, while also building trust among employees. Additionally, many organizations can seamlessly integrate such systems into their existing processes.

Best Practices for Implementation

A wide array of misconduct reporting solutions are available to organizations – but they must select the correct system that fits the organization’s specific needs. In addition to secure data collection, other top features to consider when selecting misconduct reporting software include comprehensive third-party investigations, timely resolutions, and real-time analytics.

Beyond selecting a reporting solution, it is imperative that employees are trained and understand all the system’s capabilities, such as the option to report anonymously or non-anonymously. Furthermore, as the workplace landscape continues to evolve, organizations should regularly assess and work to improve their reporting and investigative processes to ensure maximum impact.

Organizations must recognize the strategic benefits of investing in a secure, third-party reporting system. Through prioritizing trust, transparency, and accountability, leaders can mitigate the risk of potentially costly workplace misconduct and retaliation claims while fostering a positive, ethical environment.

Renee Harris serves as the Director of Investigations at Work Shield, where she leads the investigations team and personally conducts workplace investigations related to employee misconduct, including Title VII and Title IX harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. After over 11 years of experience as an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County, Texas where she tried more than 40 felony jury trials, Renee transitioned into employment law at Ogletree Deakins before becoming a consultant for third-party workplace investigations.

Driven by values of accountability, loyalty, and consistency, Renee is passionate about addressing the misconception that employer-requested investigations cannot be unbiased. Outside of work, she enjoys reading fiction, attending movies and concerts, exploring new restaurants, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Connect with Renee on LinkedIn here.

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