From Compliance Tool to Culture Enabler: Rethinking Your Speak Up Hotline
It might be time to shift the narrative around whistleblower hotlines.
A whistleblower hotline can be the heartbeat of workplace integrity or a dusty compliance tool. Which one is yours?
For too long, boards and senior executives have seen them as little more than a compliance tick-box. A reactive tool. Something you implement because you have to, not because you want to. In fact, it’s not too often I speak to an executive who is super excited about implementing a speak up hotline which is a shame.
But here’s the thing: when you reframe it as a “Speak Up” Hotline, and design it to serve your people, not just your policies, it becomes one of the most powerful culture enablers in your organisation. The real unlock is that you actually want to hear from your people.
Let me explain.
From compliance to culture: a mindset shift
When we help clients implement a broad, externally managed Speak Up Hotline, we don’t position it as a whistleblower program. We position it as something bigger, more useful, and far more aligned with building trust: a “front door” for concerns of all kinds. No restrictions, no special hoops to jump through. Just a simple proposition of: If you see or hear something that doesn’t look or sound right, or isn’t aligned to our values, we want to hear about it”.
This simple change in framing and positioning makes a massive difference.
Rather than being limited to “pure” protected disclosures or criminal wrongdoing, a broad Speak Up Hotline creates space for a wide spectrum of issues to surface; from policy breaches and employee misconduct to the more common concerns around bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and psychosocial hazards. Taking it even further, progressive organisations are even happy to hear about general concerns around culture, leadership or how the organisation interacts with customers and suppliers.
In other words, it becomes a channel for intelligence.
To use an example, give some thought to the police and how they operate. If you want them to patrol the local park because you have some “undesirables” hanging out dealing drugs, robbing passersby’s, vandalising public property then someone needs to call the police in the first place to tell them what’s happening. If no one calls, they don’t know. And if they don’t know, they can’t assign a patrol car to go past every hour to keep an eye on things.
Back to creating a safe speak up cultures, the other shift is to move from simply relying on your existing internal reporting channels. All too often I hear the following from executives: “We are comfortable with our current internal reporting mechanisms”.
But here’s the thing…. whilst I wholeheartedly support your people using existing internal channels, it’s important to realise that when it comes to sensitive issues, or issues involving senior leaders, too often people don’t feel comfortable speaking directly to their manager or to HR.
I take a view in my business that I just want to hear about the issue as early as possible. I am not fussy how the issue is raised as long as it is raised as soon as possible so we can deal with it.
I am a strong advocate for encouraging organisations to provide as many reporting pathways as possible and for those who are serious about their culture, they get my message the first time they hear it. At the end of the day, organisations who are invested in their people and values want to do whatever they can to protect them so they see the value in expanding the ways in which their people can raise issues.
Why it complements (not replaces) your internal channels
We’re not saying bin your existing internal reporting channels. Far from it.
But a well-run, independent Speak Up Hotline can act as a pressure valve. It offers an alternative path for staff, contractors, and suppliers who might feel too exposed or unsure going through internal channels. The truth is, even in healthy cultures, people often hesitate to report through internal teams they work with day in and day out.
That’s where external programs show their value. They complement your existing efforts by:
- Capturing early warning signs before they escalate – just think, if one of your people is feeling unsure about raising an issue then by having an externally managed hotline you increase the chance of them speaking up earlier. The earlier they raise the issue, the earlier you can intervene and respond. This can sometimes be the difference having a conversation with someone to correct their behaviour (which costs nothing) or having to conduct a lengthy investigation which can cost thousands of dollars and impact people emotionally (see the difference?).
- Creating a consistent intake and triage process – consistency builds trust and trust leads to more open conversations. No matter how well intentioned, your internal channels are likely at the whim of your people’s capacity to deal with the issue and then when they do acknowledge and respond they all do it in their own way.
- Acting as an always-on, low-friction channel for concerns – I hear a lot of concerns from executives about the rise in complaints if we launch a hotline, or “what about vexatious complaints?”. Whilst you will likely see a spike in reporting initially, my experience has shown that this almost always settles down after a few weeks.
Leverage experience, capacity, and smart triage
With our model, you also get access to deep capability and capacity you likely don’t have in-house. Our team triages each report, filtering and routing it to the right part of your business.
A bullying complaint? Routed to your People & Culture team. A fraud allegation or protected disclosure? Sent straight to Legal or Risk.
You remain in control, but without the burden of managing intake, triage, or investigator conflict.
It’s clean, clear, and backed by lived experience in managing complex and sensitive issues across sectors.
A modest investment with major return
Here’s where it gets interesting for boards and execs who are serious about risk, compliance, and governance.
A broad Speak Up Hotline ticks multiple regulatory and governance boxes in one move:
- WHS obligations … by giving people a psychologically safe reporting channel and enhancing your WHS and safety programs.
- Respect@Work and psychosocial compliance … by addressing workplace behaviour issues early. A Speak Up Hotline program is another way to demonstrate proactive compliance with your obligations under the relevant legislation.
- ESG reporting (G = Governance) … by embedding real, accessible reporting structures.
- Whistleblower protections … by providing whistleblowers with a safe, secure and anonymous mechanism to make a protected disclosure.
It’s one of those rare investments that both de-risks the business and enhances your culture.
It’s all about mindset though – this is why we need to change the narrative around whistleblowing and also the value proposition of investing in a Speak Up Hotline program managed by an experienced and independent conduct firm (like Core Integrity… 
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).Not just risk protection. Culture elevation
When leaders start treating a Speak Up Program as a culture tool rather than a tick the box legal requirement, things shift.
Staff feel heard.
Leaders get earlier signals.
And trust begins to build, because it’s not just what you say about values that counts, it’s what you do when people put them to the test.
The best part? This isn’t theory. We’re seeing it play out right now in our client base.
Our Speak Up clients are seeing a reduction in pure anonymous disclosures (a sign of increased psychological safety), faster response times, and better alignment between issues raised and the right business owners.
Because when people know they have a safe, direct way to raise concerns, and that those concerns will land in the right hands, they’re more likely to act.
Here’s the bottom line: If your Speak Up Hotline still sits in the “compliance” bucket, it’s time to pull it out and give it the attention it deserves.
Reframe it. Broaden it. And let it do the job it was always meant to do: Not just protect your organisation, but make it stronger.
Ready to shift your hotline from a tick-the-box obligation to a speak up program that empowers your people? Let’s talk.
