Since the EEOC’s 2009 fiscal year, retaliation has been the #1 complaint filed with the EEOC, and by FY 2018, over 50% of all charges alleged retaliation. The next day, your morning begins the same, but now you are reluctant to share your thoughts because you do not want to feel incompetent or unsupportive. One final note: sometimes company reward systems or programs may actually incentivize a lack of reports.


And as a result, the company’s business was able to improve. “BrainTrust” meetings are focused on the newest version of a Pixar movie, where employees are encouraged to speak up politely with candid thoughts and questions. Focused efforts on building the foundational skills needed to build empowered and financially capable EVERFI empowers educators to bring real-world learning into the classroom and equip students with the skills they need for success–now and in the future. The number and percentage of retaliation charges filed with the EEOC, for example, indicates that retaliation is a big problem. Of course, as HR, compliance, safety, and legal professionals are well aware, reported concerns generally set into motion a flurry of activity and often lead to an investigation. Today, Standard Chartered is the go-to bank for women in South Asia. Successful leaders understand that mistakes happen, and they encourage employees to s… That lack of understanding translates into a chokehold that constricts not only the flow of ideas but arguably, the very ideas with growth-market potential: women, for example, are 26% less likely than straight white men to get their ideas endorsed (43% vs. 54%). Clearly and unequivocally convey which behaviors are prohibited, Indicate that violations will result in appropriate and proportionate discipline, Provide examples of appropriate and proportionate action, Strongly encourage reporting of known or suspected violations, This point may seem incredibly intuitive, but if employees see or hear that someone has experienced retaliation after they reported a concern–or even if they simply fear that they will be retaliated against–, The number and percentage of retaliation charges filed with the EEOC, for example, indicates that retaliation is a big problem. We find that at publicly traded companies with two-dimensional diversity—where the senior leadership team has both inherent diversity in terms of gender, age, and race, and an acquired appreciation for difference based on experience and learning—employees are 70% more likely than those at non-diverse publicly traded companies to report having captured a new market in the last year and 45% more likely to report having grown market share.
But if your policies say (or imply) that an employee. that using the phrase “zero tolerance” may lead employees to believe that the company will automatically impose the same discipline–termination–regardless of whether misconduct is minor or devastating.

1) Creating a culture where people are encouraged to speak-up, gives permission for employees to contribute and discuss their work. Problems may be hiding in the shadows–or even be out in the open–but employees may be reticent to speak up in the workplace.

Even though this feedback can be painfully awkward to receive and deliver, this is where the movies get better. If you find that workers rarely speak up about conduct violations in your organization, one of the best steps you can take is to assess why. programs focused on K-12 education. unhealthy technology. See how athletes, entertainers, sports teams and corporations are launching community engagement Get Rid of Your “Zero Tolerance” Policies. Win-wins are too rare in today’s cutthroat global economy to let this one go unnoticed.

digital education. In stark contrast to retaliation, organizations who truly want to know about concerns and who understand the value of having an accurate picture of what’s happening on the proverbial factory floor will take steps to encourage and reward speaking up. Problems may be hiding in the shadows–or even be, To be sure, it is critical to have strongly worded and vigorously enforced policies, especially when dealing with behavior that is illegal, that threatens employee or public safety, or that jeopardizes company assets. In addition to team effectiveness, psychological safety can improve: When an employee is safe to speak up without the threatening consequences of embarrassment or punishment, more ideas are shared and employee confidence boosts because members now have a voice. A speak-up culture, in short, unleashes innovative potential and enhances collaboration across both distance and difference—a competitive edge for any multinational company. Thanks to partners who share this mission, EVERFI’s online resources for teachers are available at no This can cause the behavior to continue or to escalate, or lead to other workplace conflicts. Leaders who behave this way don’t just get more people to speak up.