Workplace Reporting

Workplace reporting rates are read as a measure of how much is going wrong. They are closer to a measure of whether people believe reporting is worth it.

Four things decide it, and only one is the system.

What happened last time. People watch what became of the previous person who reported. This is the single strongest factor.

Whether anything visibly changed. Reports that disappear teach people the exercise is decorative.

Whether it costs a colleague. Many will absorb a problem rather than create trouble for a workmate or a supervisor they like.

Effort. A long form on a desktop nobody has access to. Real, and the least important of the four.

An organisation with very few reports usually has a culture answer rather than a good news story.

Safe Work Australia covers reporting and consultation duties. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s incident reporting software and workplace compliance system.