The process
How Speak-Up works
From the moment you press send to the moment we tell you what we did: who sees your concern, what we do with it, and what we promise.
Six stages, every time
You raise the concern
You verify your work email and submit the guided form. It is delivered at once to the people who handle Speak-Up reports: the legal mailbox named in our policy, with a copy to the Director. You receive a reference straight away.
We acknowledge it within 7 days
A person reads your concern and replies to confirm it has been received and who is handling it. If anything is unclear we may ask you questions; you choose how much more to tell us.
We assess it
We decide what kind of concern it is and what response is proportionate: a fact-finding review, a formal investigation, a referral to a regulator or the police, or a different process such as a grievance if it is a personal matter.
We look into it
Wherever possible the person who looks into it has no involvement in the matter, and we may bring in independent help. Because every report reaches the Director, a concern about the Director should go to an external route instead.
We give you feedback, aiming for 3 months
We tell you what we did and, where we can, what we found and what changed. Sometimes confidentiality owed to other people, or the law, limits what we can share; when that happens we say so rather than going quiet.
We learn from it
We keep a record of every concern and how it was handled, so the Director can review the channel at least once a year and show that it works.
Who can see your concern
Your report goes only to the legal mailbox our policy names for Speak-Up concerns, with a copy to the Director. Beyond that, we share information only with people who need it to investigate or put things right, and we tell them it is confidential.
The people handling your report always see your name and work email. If you choose Protect my identity, your report arrives marked so, and we will not reveal that you raised the concern to anyone who does not strictly need to know, as far as the law allows. In a small company, other people may still guess; we will talk to you before taking any step that could make your identity obvious.
We may have to share information with a regulator, the police or a court if the law requires it. If that happens and we are allowed to tell you, we will.
How the portal handles your report
What we ask of you
- Tell us what you reasonably believe to be true. You do not need proof.
- Do not investigate on your own, gather evidence you are not entitled to, or confront anyone.
- Keep the matter confidential while it is looked into, so that it can be looked into fairly.
- If you are treated badly for speaking up, tell us straight away. Retaliation is itself a breach of our policy.
Ready to raise a concern?
It takes about ten minutes. You verify your work email, describe what happened, and we take it from there.