From encouraging misconduct reports to helping identify risks, here are the 11 answers to the question, "Can you share your best reasons why anonymous reporting in the workplace is important?"
Encourages Employees to Report Misconduct
Preserves the Employer Brand
Provides Honest Accountability for Your Organization
Prevents Retaliation
Eliminates Bias
Increases Retention and Cuts Costs
Creates Honest Feedback
Collects More Workplace Data
Fosters Psychological Safety
Builds Trust Through Anonymity
Helps Businesses Identify and Manage Risks
Encourages Employees to Report Misconduct
Anonymous reporting in the workplace is critical because it encourages employees to report misconduct—everything from harassment to direct theft from the company.
If an employee knows leaders will make a report public, a fear of retaliation will probably prevent the report. Of course, that results in the problem continuing, exacerbating, and likely leading to civil liability for the company.
There are also specific laws, contained in both state and federal statutes and case law, governing employee anonymity regarding workplace reporting, when employees are entitled to confidentiality regarding such reports, and how to properly conduct a workplace investigation resulting from an employee report.
Hire a competent HR professional or attorney to assist you.
Robert Reder, Attorney, Blythe Grace PLLC
Preserves the Employer Brand
Anonymous reporting can save a company's reputation and let the management deal with work issues internally. If there is no established system for reporting anonymously, then employees can resort to reporting to the police or media. This act can affect a company's reputation in the eyes of the public.
Tasia Duske, CEO, Museum Hack
Provides Honest Accountability for Your Organization
Collecting this raw, unfiltered information about your company, leadership, and employee interactions allows for accountability. You can get a clear picture of exactly what goes on in your organization and how the leadership staff is influencing the organizational environment.
The difficulty is making employees feel safe that what they are disclosing is anonymous and will not be traced back to them for retaliation. The truth is most employees don't trust this "anonymous" system, so it's up to the employer to take precautions and really secure the privacy of the employees that want to report.
Once they do that, it's a great tool to keep yourself in check as an organization.
Mark Smith, Program Chair, University of Advancing Technology
Prevents Retaliation
The reason that anonymous reporting is in the workplace is to prevent retaliation in the workplace against the reporting employee. You can protect your workers and ensure that you have a safe workplace where matters will be properly taken care of without finger-pointing.
Loren Howard, Founder, Prime Plus Mortgages
Eliminates Bias
Anonymous reporting eliminates the ability for managers to place any bias upon those reporting workplace incidents. Therefore, when people report anonymously, the managers’ judgment of these reports will not be as clouded by outside factors. This can make employees feel more comfortable speaking up when necessary.
Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO, & Nurse Practitioner, Skin Pharm
Increases Retention and Cuts Costs
Anonymous reporting in the workplace can increase retention and cut costs. By providing employees with a safe, secure channel to report issues, companies can reduce the risk of costly legal claims and employee turnover because of toxic working environments.
Anonymous reporting also reduces barriers for traditionally underrepresented groups who may not feel comfortable offering their concerns. As such, it is an important tool for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Michael Fischer, Founder, Elite HRT
Creates Honest Feedback
Anonymous reporting allows employees to give honest feedback. They may feel shy speaking about specific issues on the record, and they can use this opportunity to share how they really feel. They may also feel like there will be consequences for their actions if their name is attached. This makes them feel more secure and comfortable in providing feedback.
Karim Hachem, VP of E-Commerce, La Blanca
Collects More Workplace Data
The truth is, many people don't feel comfortable offering concerns in the workplace. Anonymous reporting provides your business with consistent data points to improve culture, processes, and retention. In-depth data points will provide your business with endless opportunities to take your business to the next level.
Patricio Paucar, Co-Founder & Chief Customer Officer, Navi
Fosters Psychological Safety
There is a reason that people often say that they feel like they can be more themselves on the internet than they can be in person: anonymity.
There are a thousand little things that you need to consider in the back of your mind in even the most candid of conversations with your coworkers and your superiors, so having an anonymous reporting function is essentially a must if we want to provide a truly psychologically safe way of communicating grievances at work.
Speaking to HR, for example, while always following the advice of well-meaning supporters, is usually terrible for the peace of mind of those needing to do the speaking. You can never be sure what ears might be listening to either in person or secondhand down the line.
Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOwind
Builds Trust Through Anonymity
Having the ability to remain anonymous when reporting in the workplace helps people feel safe and reassured that they won't get any backlash from their concerns. Knowing that their identities will not be exposed, people will usually be more honest in their concerns or complaints, especially when reporting to managers or higher-ups.
Allowing people to voice their concerns anonymously also ensures that people are more likely to confront the problems directly and perhaps even as a team. Employees may often feel that they are alone in their concerns, but in reality, other coworkers have similar experiences or are affected by the same issues.
Anonymity eliminates the fear that some people may have in voicing their concerns and reporting problems in the workplace.
Brandon Brown, CEO, GRIN
Helps Businesses Identify and Manage Risks
Anonymous reporting can be a way of breaking down barriers to reporting concerns, and can therefore help businesses to identify and manage risks. It is vital for employers to create an open culture of reporting concerns, and to reassure staff that if they offer concerns, confidentiality will be maintained as far as possible, and protection given against retaliation or reprisals.
Knowing the identity of a complainant will usually aid the investigation, so open reporting is preferred and encouraged.
However, there will always be some for whom these assurances are not enough. An anonymous reporting channel will mean that even those most fearful of a negative backlash still have an avenue to voice concerns as an alternative to remaining silent.
Julian Taylor, Employment Lawyer, Julian Taylor HR