Speak Up / Listen Up

by Joe Murphy, CCEP

Sometimes a simple idea can make a difference. In my reading and work I am always looking for ideas and approaches to help compliance & ethics professionals around the world to do their difficult work.

A quick history of “speak up” lines. In the employee reporting system area, the original idea was to have a “hotline.” This suggested something dramatic – making a call just in time to prevent illegal conduct. The name was intended to draw attention to this new outlet for people to raise concerns. Gradually we shifted to something less inflammatory, with the word “helpline.” This conveyed the idea that compliance & ethics people were in fact there to help out, whether it was to report a violation or to get advice on what to do when a problem arises.

Again with the passage of time the idea of calling this a “speak up” system developed, emphasizing the need for everyone to be alert to compliance and ethics risks and to be ready to take action by speaking up.

But in this field there is another very important reality when it comes to giving employees and others a voice. All the slogans and messages in the world don’t work if no one is listening and taking action. No slogan will get people to take the risk of speaking up if nothing happens, or if the only result is retaliation.

A clever idea from ISO 37002. Recently in reading the ISO standard on whistleblowing systems, ISO 37002, I was trudging through the somewhat bureaucratic language that seems to characterize the work of ISO when I hit the phrase: “speak up/listen up.” Being direct, clear and dramatic is not the language I had grown to expect in an ISO standard, but this really hit the mark. It uses direct, action-oriented words for both sides of the equation. Yes, we want all our employees to speak up. But you in management also must learn to “listen up.” Management owes this to the courageous people who do speak up. I think this is a much stronger and wiser message.

Speak up/Listen up. Preventing misconduct must not just rest on the shoulders of the workers. All the managers have an essential role too. They all need to learn how to receive and respond to concerns their people express. “Listen up” is more than sitting quietly while only half listening to someone’s concerns. It should mean active listening, with the expectation of taking action as appropriate. It means listening in a way that draws out all the important information in preparation for taking action. It means showing real respect for anyone who comes forward with a concern.

“Listen up” is a tremendously important message to all those in management and in staff. When someone has a concern related to ethics or compliance, this should be our first thought. Listen up to whatever the person is saying.

So I like the sound and the message of this phrase. If you have used it or have thoughts about it, we would love to hear from you. We promise, if you communicate to us about it, we will definitely “Listen up.”