Speaking Up in the Creative Industries – Embedding Standards in Practice

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The biggest barrier to a strong speak up culture is trust. Employees need to believe that reporting actually leads to change. That's the central finding from a joint webinar between Culture Shift and the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), one year on from the introduction of the CIISA Standards and against the backdrop of the new Employment Rights Act.

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In this on-demand webinar, Culture Shift CEO Gemma McCall is joined by CIISA COO Andrew Medlock and CIISA Director of Stakeholder Engagement Niyi Akeju to discuss what's actually happening across the creative industries when it comes to workplace reporting, and why policies alone aren't closing the gap.

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Organisations are now being asked to prove their speak up policies work in practice. This webinar draws on CIISA's user-led research and Culture Shift's platform data to explain where that proof is missing, and what to do about it.

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What is the biggest barrier to speak up culture?

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The panel identifies uncertainty after a report is submitted as the single biggest barrier to reporting. As Niyi Akeju, CIISA Director of Stakeholder Engagement, explains:

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"A big barrier is if it feels like things are going into a void."

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Once someone raises a concern, a familiar set of questions follows: Has anyone received it? Is it within scope? What happens next? Will there be an outcome at all? When organisations fail to answer these questions, trust in the reporting process breaks down, particularly in a sector where high-profile misconduct cases have already damaged confidence.

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Confidentiality will always limit how much detail can be shared. People still need reassurance that their concern has been heard and is being acted on. A reporting process that goes silent after submission signals to employees that speaking up isn't worth the risk.

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How does freelance work affect workplace reporting?

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Short-term, freelance and project-based work is one of the defining challenges for speak up culture in the creative industries. When someone knows they'll be off a production or contract within weeks, raising a concern can feel like more effort and risk than simply moving on.

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This creates a blind spot for organisations. Waiting until someone leaves to gather feedback comes too late, and many freelance workers never go through a formal exit process at all.

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Niyi Akeju's recommendation is to build in regular opportunities to hear from people throughout their time with the organisation: "Another way of overcoming that barrier is giving individuals opportunities to feedback through regular check-ins." Onboarding conversations, midpoint reviews and structured check-ins all signal that an organisation genuinely wants to hear from its people. As he puts it, "a barrier is if nobody asks. It's like don't ask, don't tell."

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Why doesn't policy translate into practice?

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Power dynamics, freelance status and hierarchy all shape whether someone feels safe enough to come forward. A well-written policy relies on people believing it will be applied fairly, and trusting they won't face repercussions from those with more power in the relationship.

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What actually determines whether people speak up is lived experience: whether past reports were taken seriously, whether outcomes were visible, and whether raising a concern ever felt safe. This is the gap the panel returns to throughout the discussion, between what's written in a policy and what employees have actually experienced.

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Practical steps to strengthen speak up culture

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The panel sets out clear, actionable steps for organisations:

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• Close the communication loop after every report, even when confidentiality limits detail
• Build regular check-ins into freelance and project-based work, alongside exit interviews
• Use reporting data to identify where trust is breaking down before it becomes a cultural problem
• Review whether policies reflect what actually happens in practice

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Watch the full webinar

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With the Employment Rights Act reshaping expectations around employer responsibility, and the CIISA Standards setting a clear benchmark for the creative industries, this webinar offers evidence-based guidance for any organisation working to strengthen its reporting culture.

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Watch the full recording for the complete discussion, including further detail on CIISA's research and practical guidance for improving speak up culture in your organisation.

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FAQs

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What is speak up culture?

Speak up culture refers to an organisational environment where employees, freelancers and workers feel safe and confident raising concerns about misconduct, and trust that those concerns will be acted on.

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Why do people not report workplace misconduct?

‍The most common barrier is fear that reporting won't lead to any change, followed by uncertainty about what happens after a report is submitted and a lack of communication throughout the process.

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How can creative organisations improve their speak up culture?

Creative organisations can improve speak up culture by closing the communication loop after reports, building regular feedback opportunities into freelance and short-term work, and using reporting data to identify where trust is breaking down.