Will speaking up reflect badly on me?
As long as you’re speaking up in good faith (based on a genuine belief or concern), speaking up will never reflect badly on you. We all need to feel empowered, safe and able to challenge or question when something doesn’t feel right, and to make suggestions when we think things could be done better. When you Speak Up, we are committed to listen, learn and act.
We know some people may not feel confident to Speak Up or have concerns about the consequences of doing so. Here we seek out to bust some of the myths you may have about speaking up:
| Myth / Preconception | Response |
| Fear of retaliation | Retaliation (also known as revenge, getting even, payback) of any kind is not tolerated. Retaliation can take many forms: bullying, harassment, dismissal, promotion blocking or even being given the jobs that no one wants to do. If after speaking up you believe you have been / are being retaliated against, speak to your HR Manager, The People Team or your Line Manager immediately. If you have spoken up in good faith, you have shown great courage, and nobody has the right to make you feel bad for that. Find out more about retaliation here. |
| Fear of alienation from peers | We all have a responsibility to Speak Up, so the question to your peers should be “why didn’t you Speak Up?”. We do however appreciate that it can be very daunting to do this. If you are concerned, the hotline allows you to make an anonymous report. |
| Somebody else will probably Speak Up | Never assume this! Have you ever got frustrated because you could see something clearly and the person next to you couldn’t despite you telling them exactly where it was? We all see and notice different things and we cannot rely on somebody else seeing or hearing the same thing and speaking up. |
| I don’t think anything will be done | The company takes all reports of speaking up very seriously. Remember, you can Speak Up to anyone so, if you don’t think a certain person will do something about it, why not reach out to their manager or one of the other reporting channels? |
| The Hotline isn’t really anonymous | Yes it is! The Hotline is managed by a third party and all reporters are given the opportunity to share their details or remain anonymous. If you have chosen anonymity, nobody at Carnival UK will be able to see your name or the contact details you have left. We are able to respond via The Hotline, but there is no way outside of this to do so. |
| Nobody else speaks up, why should I? | How do you know that nobody else speaks up? They may say they don’t but many people actually do! Speaking up is not easy but we all have a responsibility to do so, so don’t worry about what other people think. If you think it needs to be reported, say something! Chances are others will be thinking the same. |
| I shouldn’t speak up if I’m not 100% certain of the situation | Yes, you should! Even if you have concerns or suspicions, let us know. As long as they are shared in good faith, it is always better to say something. |
| In famous whistleblowing cases seen in the media, the whistleblower is often ignored or dismissed. How can we be sure that this will not happen? | At Carnival UK, each and every one of us should be committed to living our Culture Essentials and by doing this, we can ensure that we succeed where others have failed. If somebody reports something to you, it is vital that you act on it and retaliation in any form, including dismissal, is not permitted, by our policies or by law. |
Need more help?
If you have any questions relating to Speak Up or anything else concerning Ethics & Compliance, please get in touch with the Ethics & Compliance team directly via email at ethics@carnivalukgroup.com