Text version scenario

In order to mitigate risks we establish certain processes. In a stressful environment, it happens that processes can be implemented in a questionable ways. We must make sure that we have a culture that allows people to speak up if they see something that is done wrongly. If not the risk process may not work.

In this case, one of our people observed that documents were being blindly signed off without checking for correctness. She raised concerns about this, as she was worried that this practice could allow for mistakes that could damage us and our customer. However, she was told by someone in authority that she did not understand the procedure well enough, and that she should not worry about it. She felt she was not taken seriously, and that no one else seemed to care.

Discussion question

• Have you experienced colleagues not being taken seriously when speaking up?
• How did you approach it?
• What did you learn from it?

Things to consider

We can learn from these situations to help us truly live our values. We can consider the following actions:

• Create relationships of mutual respect within your team so that all feel empowered to speak up and raise issues.
• Be clear and knowledgeable about all processes so that we can raise issues if there are problems.
• Get feedback on our style and behavior so that we can adapt and change if we are not transparent and/or creating fear to speak openly.

For more information on how to act read our Code of Conduct chapter on Diversity and Inclusion.