Written by Ann Barker, Head of Growth and Engagement, WorkInConfidence
Speak Up – Is it the Missing Piece
in Your Employee Benefits Strategy?
Before working with WorkInConfidence, I’d been in financial services and employee benefits for more than 50 years. Much time was spent talking to employers about how to attract and keep the best employees with a quality pension scheme, wellbeing support, healthcare, and a wider employee value proposition.
In truth, before joining WorkInConfidence, I did not even know that Speak Up platforms existed. And I was shocked that after all those years in the industry, I had never heard of them.
What I had never really considered before was the role that employee voice and Speak Up mechanisms could play in making sure those employee benefits and perks would actually deliver value.
Now, I find myself realising they should surely be viewed as a far more integral part of employee experience.
Because the reality is this: A great benefits package cannot compensate for an unsafe, unheard or disengagedculture.
Organisations invest significant amounts in:
💷 Pensions
💷 Private medical insurance
💷 Wellbeing initiatives, including financial and mental wellbeing support
💷 Employee assistance programmes
💷 Recognition schemes
💷 Flexible benefits to offer employees choice at every age
💷 And many other initiatives e.g. discounted gym membership, dental plans etc.
All of these things matter.
They can help organisations attract talent, strengthen loyalty, and demonstrate commitment to employee wellbeing. But there is also an uncomfortable truth that many organisations are still grappling with:
If employees are experiencing workplace bullying, discrimination, harassment, exclusion or unethical behaviour, how engaged and motivated are staff likely to be by their benefits package. They may be thinking that they need to find a way to exit as soon as possible! If not they are just hanging on and surviving.
No employee is thinking about the quality of the pension scheme while dreading interactions with a difficult manager or an abusive colleague.
No wellbeing app can ever fully compensate for a culture where people feel unable to raise concerns safely. And no employee value proposition truly succeeds if employees do not feel heard, respected and psychologically safe.
Many organisations work extremely hard to improve engagement and retention, yet hidden cultural issues often remain difficult to detect until the damage is already done.
Employees do not always formally complain.
They may stay silent because:
➡️ They fear repercussions,
➡️ They worry about being labelled difficult or a troublemaker
➡️ They believe nothing will change
➡️ Or, they simply do not know where to turn to
Sometimes they leave quietly instead.
This is where trusted (usually anonymous) Speak Up mechanisms can play a critical role.
A well-implemented Speak Up platform is not simply a whistleblowing tool reserved for major misconduct. It can become an important part of an organisation’s listening strategy, helping employers identify concerns early, understand patterns, and create safer channels for communication. It’s also a valuable tool for people to contribute ideas.
In many ways, it acts as an early warning system for culture.
There has been a growing focus in recent years on workplace wellbeing, mental health, and building resilience. But genuine wellbeing is about more than benefits and support resources. It is also about whether employees feel psychologically safe within their working environment.
❓Can they easily raise concerns?
❓Can they challenge behaviour?
❓Can they report issues without fear?
❓Do they believe they will be listened to fairly?
❓Can they just give feedback easily on a day to day basis?
These questions matter because silence often carries hidden organisational costs which come from:
➡️ Increased absence
➡️ Disengagement
➡️ Reduced productivity
➡️ Conflict
➡️ Reputational damage
➡️ Avoidable employee turnover
Research commissioned by ACAS estimated that workplace conflict costs UK organisations around £28.5 billion per year, much of it linked to unresolved issues and poor workplace relationships.
Many of those issues begin long before formal grievances are raised.
The more I work in this space, the more I believe employee voice should sit alongside the wider employee benefits conversation. Whether it’s a whistleblowing concern, or just everyday feedback.
Benefits communicate:
“We value our people.”
But trusted Speak Up channels communicate something deeper:
“We are prepared to listen when something goes wrong – or even better before it goes wrong.”
That matters.
Increasingly, employees judge organisations not only on what they offer, but on how safe, fair, and respectful the culture feels in practice.
This is particularly relevant as expectations around workplace culture continue to rise. Employers are under growing pressure to demonstrate that they are taking proactive steps to prevent harassment, address concerns appropriately, and create psychologically safe environments.
But beyond regulation and compliance, there is also a very human issue at the centre of all of this:
People stay where they feel heard and safe.
Isn’t that perhaps one of the most valuable employee benefits an organisation can offer?
At WorkInConfidence, we help organisations give their employees a safe, independent, and anonymous way to raise concerns and be heard. If people can speak up in psychological safety, they are more likely to engage with what their employer has to offer them.
We support organisations in creating environments where employees feel safe and confident to call things out. If you’d like to explore what this could look like for your organisation, we’re happy to share examples and walk you through it.
We offer:
- Secure, anonymous two way speak-up channels.
- Case management that ensures issues are tracked and resolved, as well as learnings made and shared.
- Engagement and survey tools to measure confidence and culture.
Email: [email protected] I Tel: 0114 304 9648
A safe and secure two-way anonymous channel for your people to raise concerns via phone, tablet, or PC, ensuring you are aware of any workplace issues, and can respond quickly and accordingly.
A secure online place to record, track, update, and report on all speaking up matters, whether raised through WorkInConfidence or directly.
Easily set up, run and interpret surveys on engagement, respect, wellness or other topics to ensure you always understand your people, their needs and motivations.
A confidential external phone line with a dedicated Speak Up Guardian for your people to raise concerns with. We also provide training in Freedom to Speak Up, Speaking up and safeguarding processes.