STATION REFURBISHMENT BUSINESS PROFILE
What Stops People Reporting Concerns? Under-reporting can signal that there are barriers to being heard. How much of this is practical, and how much is cultural? Every workplace is different, but here are some things to consider, shares CIRAS’ Lucinda Neal
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hen someone has a concern they want resolved, their next move isn’t always to tell someone. Barriers to raising concerns might be practical, but often they’re behavioural and psychological. Most of the time, there are several reporting channels available, with many ways to report. In practical terms, this variety and accessibility gives people choice and would ideally remove the hurdle of wondering how to report and where. Even then, they need to know these channels exist before they can use them. That takes regular promotion and coordinated messaging across company communications, including explaining simply how to use the channels and what the difference is. What one person prefers won’t be the best way for another. So far, so straightforward. If those bases are covered and someone has a way to raise concerns and knows how to do it, then why wouldn’t they?
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Who’s heard?
Diversity – in age, gender, ethnicity, languages, skill sets and more – introduces alternative perspectives and could highlight issues that others didn’t notice. Diverse viewpoints can also challenge assumptions and groupthink. But someone’s individual life experiences may stop them speaking up. Who they are, and relationship dynamics in a team or with certain coworkers, can mean they’re not listened to or taken seriously even when they do. If someone already feels singled out, they may not want to draw further attention to themselves by raising a concern. Their concerns may be treated differently than if they came from others. Power balance might come into play. Younger workers may believe they’re too inexperienced to raise concerns. Perhaps they aren’t confident in doing so, or maybe the workplace culture leads to a false expectation that people must earn the right to be heard, with age or experience.
CIRAS confidential safety hotline for transport can help by providing a route to raise concerns without being identified. CIRAS’ analysts will ask questions to build a full picture of the concern before writing the report to send to the company, maintaining confidentiality. CIRAS tells the reporter what the company’s response is, closing the loop.
What’s the cost-benefit analysis?
How easy is it to raise concerns or report issues? It’s not just about having different ways to report, but also how easy they are to use. Anything time-consuming, longwinded or prone to technical issues is a barrier to reporting – or people may find an alternative. Time is a cost in a time-pressured environment, particularly on a high-risk site where there may be many things to report.