Compliance Corner – Issue 3.2
“Snitches Get Stitches,” and Other Barriers to Speak-up Culture
“Snitches get stitches.” When I was teaching middle school, I often heard students using this phrase when speaking about other students they suspected of telling the teacher who among them had committed the kiddie crime of the moment. Recently, I was surprised to find the adult version of this sentiment reflected in a study measuring workplace culture. This had me wondering; now that we’re all grown up, do snitches still get stitches?
Last month, the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) published the report of their annual Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES). The survey measures culture in businesses in 42 countries, and while certain trends in this year’s report echo those from years past, some of this year’s data was alarming.
Of the 75,000+ employees from the 42 countries surveyed, only 8% could claim they worked in a speak-up culture. And if you’re wondering, like I was, what could be the cause of 92% of respondents not feeling they could voice questions or concerns in the workplace, you don’t have to think too hard to arrive at their reasons; it’s management behavior and lack of trust in privacy when reporting.
Let’s look at management behavior. That’s right – the people who set the tone for workplace culture may actually be responsible for creating a culture that’s less-than-friendly to those who raise questions or concerns. In fact, workers worldwide believe that management is actively suppressing employees who would otherwise speak up. This chart from the GBES report provides some detail:
https://www.ethics.org/wp-content/uploads/Jan24GBES_MonthlyReport_PDF-F2-2.pdf
Management’s suppression of speak-up culture can look like many things. It can look like disinterest or hostility when an employee asks a question, voices a concern, or makes a suggestion. It can also be found in attempts by management to perpetuate or cover up misconduct, or worse – it can surface as retaliation. It’s not hard to understand why employees in environments where these management behaviors prevail choose to stay silent.
In weaker cultures, the organization and its employees do not practice, promote and nurture open communication, nor do they elicit participation by all and encourage employees to bring concerns forward.
ECI’s 2024 Global Business Ethics Survey Report
So, maybe you’re a manager who knows that speak-up culture in your workplace is being suppressed. Or maybe you’re not sure. Fortunately, ECI offers some recommendations:
Perform a self-inventory by meeting with employees, one-on-one, to see whether they
feel seen and heard
feel looped-in about about organizational changes
have questions about the direction of the organization, and whether there’s a reason why they haven’t asked them
feel that diversity in experience and thinking is celebrated and valued, even when diverse points of view might go against the grain
Moving on to the lack of trust in privacy when reporting, the GBES data points to a general fear that when employees make a report, other people will learn who made it.
https://www.ethics.org/wp-content/uploads/Jan24GBES_MonthlyReport_PDF-F2-2.pdf
And, believe it or not, according to the 4th reason on the chart above, “Would be labeled as a snitch” is a concern that 19% of respondents share! So, apparently we do believe that snitches still can get stitches. Fear of physical harm is a big motivator for staying silent; so is losing your job or suffering some form of retaliation from coworkers, a supervisor or even top management.
But how can you be sure that your internal processes for reporting and investigating misconduct will be trusted by your employees? Again, ECI has several recommendations for reducing fear – and increasing trust – in those processes.
1 Have a clear, consistent reporting process — and make intentional efforts to inform employees of the way the reporting process works. Pertinent information about how reports are conducted, how anonymity is guaranteed, guidance about what constitutes retaliation, consequences for retaliation from peers or superiors and other protections for employees should be readily available and consistently communicated.
2 Frame speaking up as not just one step, but a vital, ongoing process. This mindset shift initiates a cycle of self-reflection within the organization and sets the stage for integrating transparency into business strategy and practices. By making honest discussion a regular part of a team’s practices, reporting can be framed as constructive, not as “snitching,” as some employees fear: It reduces misconduct and helps create a safer, more productive environment for all.
3 Take accountability for mistakes or ethics failures when they occur. Admit and own up to mistakes, as opposed to covering up failures, to promote trust. When mistakes are covered up or blame is passed along, trust disintegrates throughout the organization. This leads to a culture that suppresses speaking up for fear of being blamed, causing misconduct to go unreported and putting the entire organization in jeopardy. Leaders can combat this by being transparent with their teams about organizational failures, even when it is difficult or embarrassing. Owning up to failure is never more difficult than the consequences of letting trust decay within the organization.
4 Focus on implementing a High-Quality E&C Program (HQP). Leaders can access many tools that can help them support their teams in speaking up, including ECI’s historical research on the foundational principles of a High-Quality E&C Program (HQP). These principles include Speaking Up, Accountability, Risk Management, Integrity, Strategy. The Integrity and Compliance Office (ucompliance@vcu.edu) is another great resource for tools and training to help you and your team grow your speak-up culture.
https://www.ethics.org/wp-content/uploads/Jan24GBES_MonthlyReport_PDF-F2-2.pdf
It’s a good idea to provide an annual review of the reporting process, the meaning of privacy and anonymity in this context, and VCU’s Duty to Report and Protection from Retaliation policy. When you do this, in addition to taking steps to ensure that management behavior is fostering speak-up culture, you can help employees feel that they are supported when they voice a question, concern or idea. With enough of us working on it we can flip the phrase from “Snitches get stitches” to “Voices have choices.”
If you’d like to discuss the culture in your workplace, or have an idea for a future blog topic, please contact mcquillenka@vcu.edu We’d love to hear from you!