ARIn the age of technology, anonymous reporting can be few and far between. It’s very rare we can express ourselves without our name, email address, username or phone number attached to it. These things go with us pretty much everywhere! In business especially, we are constantly communicating via these channels on a day to day basis. Needless to say, it can be difficult to detach ourselves when we spend so much of our time using them.
In today’s world, it is essential to ensure that staff feel comfortable in reporting issues and concerns to management when they arise. Most of the time, a lot of your staff may feel perfectly confident in coming forward, whether it be face to face, via email or through a phone conversation. Having said that, staff wellbeing in the workplace heavily relies on everyone feeling they have a safe space to talk.
Communication in the workplace – Develop trust and wellbeing
When issues arise do you have the means to support your staff? Saying ‘come see me later’ or ‘my door is always open’ is not enough. Issues can vary on a wide spectrum. Each member of staff is different and can respond to incidents in their own way. This also applies when it comes to reporting.
We have to consider that some members of staff are not confident to report issues or concerns in the workplace. Employees may feel that disclosing concerns could bring them unwanted exposure, create a negative opinion about them or bring unwanted friction between them and other members of staff.
Addressing staff concerns can prevent negative emotions from arising such as ongoing anxiety, frustration and resentment. Altogether, this could lead to high staff turnover, a bad reputation (glassdoor) and even legal troubles (depending on the incident).
Consider the following incidents:
- A member of staff threatening violence.
- Racist incidents
- Sexual harassment
- Hate speech
- Poor treatment of customers
- Abusive and offensive language
- Possession of drugs
- Stealing
Do all your employees know how to safely and confidently report these incidents in a manner that protects them, their wellbeing and ongoing productivity in the workplace whilst keeping you in control and aware of what is happening? This is where Dashup comes in.
Anonymous reporting – A new line of communication
Anonymous reporting gives power to those who need it the most. We need to consider that many of us spend a considerable amount of time online, whether it be socially or professionally. It may seem unlikely but online interaction has become so regular that many of us may feel more confident on a keyboard as opposed to in person. Dashup opens up a new online channel for staff to report concerns anonymously without the need for personal details or email addresses.
Management can start two-way conversations to investigate incidents in the workplace whilst protecting the members of staff who reported it. Consider the below example as a way in which an incident can be reported and investigated in an anonymous fashion.
Imagine you have just started at a new company, you aren’t familiar with the environment nor have you made any real friends or connections as of yet. Your days are focussed on making a good impression, showing eagerness to learn and trying hard to fit in. You like the job but you begin to worry about an individual who constantly makes fun of you every lunchtime. They go out of their way to make you feel uncomfortable and will sometimes even bully you in front of other colleagues. This person is higher up than you, seems to have a lot of respect in the workplace and has been at the company for many years. You worry that reporting this to management will result in a negative opinion of you, may affect your career progression and will cause friction in the workplace which will ultimately result in unwanted confrontation. Despite this, you know this isn’t appropriate behaviour and want to put a stop to it immediately before it goes any further. You turn to the anonymous reporting channel that anyone can use via SMS or an online form. You write down what is happening, keeping personal details to yourself. It is then noted and investigated. Management pick up on the individual’s bullying antics and interestingly, it is not just directed at you but many other members of staff as well who are experiencing the same problem. The next day the bullying stops, you now feel confident in your work and go on to have a healthy, productive career.
Giving your staff this safe method of communication can build feelings of security and protection along with being aware of ongoing support from management to tackle issues when they arise. You cannot be everywhere at once when managing an active workplace. Incidents will occur, concerns will arise and your staff need to know where to go when they need a safe space to talk.
