Confidential Workplace Reporting with Speak Up
Give employees an independent, confidential way to raise workplace concerns and access guidance.
The problem: Workplace concerns can go unreported when employees don’t feel comfortable using internal channels.
The solution: Speak Up provides an independent contact point where trained advisers listen, explain options and record concerns.
The outcome: Earlier visibility can help organisations respond consistently and strengthen workplace trust.
Independent Workplace Reporting Support
Speak Up is available exclusively to Wisdom Wellbeing Peak Performance EAP clients. It gives eligible employees a trusted channel to discuss workplace concerns when raising them directly with a manager, People and Culture team or another internal contact feels difficult.
The service operates independently from the employer and supports confidential, consistent reporting. With the employee’s consent, information can be shared securely with the organisation so it can assess the concern and determine the appropriate response.
Speak Up complements, rather than replaces, an organisation’s policies, internal reporting channels, emergency procedures, investigation processes or legal obligations.
Workplace Concerns Employees Can Raise
Employees can contact Speak Up about concerns including:
- Workplace bullying, harassment or unreasonable behaviour
- Sexual harassment or other inappropriate workplace conduct
- Discrimination, victimisation or retaliation
- Fraud, malpractice, unethical conduct or suspected wrongdoing
- Violence, aggression or workplace safety concerns
- Other organisational concerns affecting individual wellbeing or a respectful workplace
Employment New Zealand recognises bullying, harassment and discrimination as workplace issues that employers need to address appropriately.
Concerns may be handled as employment matters or, in some circumstances, as protected disclosures under New Zealand law. The protections available depend on the nature of the concern and how it is raised.
What I changed:
How the Speak Up Service Works
Contact: An eligible employee contacts Speak Up during the service’s operating hours.
Listen and guide: A trained adviser listens without judgement, helps the employee clarify the concern and explains the available options.
Record: Relevant information is recorded carefully and handled under the agreed privacy and confidentiality process.
Refer: With the employee’s consent, or where disclosure is otherwise required or permitted, information is shared securely with the organisation’s nominated contact under the agreed reporting protocol.
Respond: The organisation assesses the concern and determines the appropriate next steps under its policies and legal obligations.
Speak Up does not determine findings, provide legal advice or replace the employer’s responsibility to assess or investigate workplace concerns.
Supporting Respectful and Psychologically Healthy Work
Speak Up supports workplace wellbeing by giving employees an additional, independent way to raise concerns that may otherwise go unreported.
Concerns such as bullying, harassment, discrimination, violence or aggression can affect workplace relationships, health and safety. Speak Up can help organisations identify concerns earlier as part of a broader workplace framewor
Employers remain responsible for:
- Maintaining appropriate workplace policies and internal reporting channels
- Responding fairly and consistently to concerns
- Managing immediate health and safety risks
- Conducting appropriate workplace investigations
- Protecting privacy and confidentiality
- Preventing victimisation or retaliation
- Meeting applicable employment and health and safety obligations
Employment New Zealand states that preventing bullying, harassment and discrimination begins with building the right workplace culture and developing appropriate policies.
Protected Disclosures in New Zealand
The Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022 provides protections for people who disclose serious wrongdoing where the requirements of the Act are met.
Not every workplace concern or complaint qualifies as a protected disclosure. Speak Up can support an organisation’s reporting arrangements, but employers remain responsible for their policies, processes and handling of protected disclosures. Not every workplace concern, complaint or employment grievance will qualify as a protected disclosure. Speak Up may support an organisation’s reporting arrangements where the service design, nominated contacts and escalation process are configured appropriately.
Speak Up does not guarantee legal compliance or determine whether a disclosure qualifies for protection under the Act.
Confidential Reporting Service Features
Speak Up provides:
- Independent and impartial support from trained advisers
- Confidential conversations and secure information handling
- Anonymous reporting where available under the organisation’s configured service
- Clear referral pathways to the organisation’s nominated contact
- Consistent documentation to support an appropriate organisational response
- Access Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm
Confidentiality and anonymity are subject to applicable law, immediate safety considerations and the agreed service protocol. Employees should be informed about how their information may be used before providing identifying details.
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