How to Build Trust in Workplace Misconduct Reporting
Our latest research found that more than one-quarter of people have experienced bullying or harassment at work in the past year. Yet almost 60% chose not to report it.
In a recent article for HRZone, our CEO and Co-Founder, Gemma McCall, explores why organisations need to stop viewing workplace misconduct as a reporting problem and start addressing the trust issues that prevent people from speaking up in the first place.
Here is a taster of what Gemma discusses:
"The biggest barrier usually isn’t whether a reporting route exists, it’s whether people trust what will happen if they use it."
The article examines the disconnect many organisations face. While reporting channels, policies and procedures are becoming increasingly common, employees often remain reluctant to use them. Fear of retaliation, concerns about career impact and a lack of faith in outcomes continue to keep people silent, even when they experience serious misconduct.
Gemma argues that effective reporting pathways begin long before someone raises a concern. Employees need clarity on how reporting works, confidence that concerns will be handled fairly and visible evidence that speaking up leads to meaningful action.
"It’s not about taking things from ‘no process’ to ‘process’, but instead, from process to prevention."
The article also explores why this shift is becoming increasingly important ahead of the new duty under the Employment Rights Act coming into force in October 2026. Organisations will need to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, making trusted reporting pathways, psychological safety and proactive culture management more important than ever.
Alongside practical guidance for HR teams, Gemma highlights the opportunity organisations have to use reporting data more strategically. Rather than treating reports as isolated incidents, businesses should look for patterns, identify emerging risks and use those insights to prevent issues before they escalate.
Read Gemma's full article in HRZone to learn how organisations can build trust in their reporting processes, strengthen speak up culture and move from reacting to misconduct to preventing it.
.png)
What we're reading
Latest insights from the front lines of workplace culture.
%20(1).png)
The NDA Ban Under the Employment Rights Act: What It Means for HR
When you can no longer buy silence, you have to invest in safety. That's the shift HR teams now need to plan for. Some organisations have historically leaned on settlement agreements and non-disclosure agreements to resolve harassment complaints quietly, keeping the details contained and the reputational risk low. The Employment Rights Act 2025 closes that option down. Once the NDA ban comes into force, a culture of silence stops being something the law will let you enforce.
Third Party Harassment: The Blind Spot in Most Workplace Harassment Policies
Most harassment policies are built around one scenario: two colleagues, one incident. But a lot of harassment comes from outside the organisation - customers, clients, patients, delegates - and the law is catching up. Learn what third party harassment looks like in practice, where employer liability stands under the Worker Protection Act, and what changes from October 2026 under the Employment Rights Act, including a higher bar for "reasonable steps" and liability from the first incident.
Internal vs External Reporting Systems: What's Best for HR Teams?
Most organisations already have some way for staff to raise a concern: a line manager, an HR inbox, a form on the intranet nobody's touched since 2019. The question HR teams are asking now isn't whether they have a reporting system, it's whether the one they've got is good enough.
Feeling inspired?
Take the first step toward preventative misconduct management with a demo of our Report + Support™ platform. We can show you how to breakdown reporting barriers with anonymous 2-way messaging, and how to act before things escalate with name-matching and pattern-spotting across our analytics dashboard.
