How do I recognise when someone is speaking up?

Sometimes it’s obvious as the person may actively ask to speak to you, other times it might be dropped into conversation, raised in a jokey manner or added as an aside. It may come via a face to face chat, an email or even a text. It may not even be said at all – you might just be able to tell from someone’s body language that they want to say something but don’t seem able to.

I think somebody is speaking up, how should I handle it?

First of all you need to Listen and Learn. Listen with the goal of hearing someone out and learning from them, in a way that lets the speaker know that you care about their point of view. Here’s some handy tips:

• Listen with the purpose of understanding what the other person thinks and feels. Just listening to get a chance to share your opinion is not effective.
• Clear your mind and remain silent. Let the speaker know you are listening with appropriate responses.
• Ask the speaker to provide more details or explain if something is not clear.
• Reflect the other person’s thoughts and feelings by restating what you have heard. Make sure the other person agrees you have understood correctly.

What do I do next?

Now you understand your colleague’s perspective you need to decide what to do. It may be a case that you can help the person. If so, great – problem solved. In many cases though this may not be possible. You must therefore think about who or where you should go to get help.

Likely places are a more senior colleague or a subject matter expert – if you aren’t sure, consult the Code of Conduct & Business Ethics for advice. The most important thing is that you do something and not just ignore the issue. If somebody has felt comfortable enough to Speak Up to you, they must trust you or think you can help. And if you really can’t help, suggest they talk to somebody who you think will be able to, and go with them if necessary.

At Carnival UK, as part of Carnival Corporation, our goal is to operate with integrity, trust and respect for each other – seeking collaboration, candour, openness and transparency at all times. Each and every one of us must strive to do this, so don’t shrug your shoulders or pretend you haven’t heard – listen, learn and act.

And always remember, we do not tolerate retaliation in any form against anyone who reports a concern in good faith or participates in an investigation.

Need some 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 at ethics@carnivalukgroup.com