The word compliance does not tend to inspire particular excitement among employees. Usually associated with financial penalties or legal restrictions, and dealt with internally by a specialised team of experts and lawyers. It's unlikely that employees are aware of the huge role that compliance can play in creating safe, and therefore better, work environments.

In the European Union, we're currently seeing a massive shift towards implementing stronger compliance cultures in companies, especially when it comes to employee protection.

New regulation to protect employees

One of the more significant shifts is the EU Whistleblowing Directive. Having come into force in December 2021, all companies registered in the EU or operating in the EU, must now abide by certain standards (such as allowing for anonymous reporting) to ensure that whistleblowers can report issues of workplace misconduct, safe from any form of retaliation.

It's an important step for companies that have previously seen more than 40% of whistleblowers facing a form of retribution. Such retaliation included: losing their jobs, not being promoted, low performance reviews and general ostracisation by peers. Nonetheless, since 2020, there has been a 76% increase in whistleblower reports in the US and the trend is roughly similar in Europe, which means that employees are feeling empowered to report workplace misconduct. The new Whistleblowing Directive ensures companies stay on the pulse in regards to employee satisfaction and any harmful business practices, by promoting trust and transparency - lest we forget, 43% of fraud is discovered by whistleblowers.

The benefits of being compliant with the EU Whistleblowing Directive goes both ways: it gives companies the unique opportunity to double down on their culture and values, whilst also encouraging employees to speak up about wrongdoings in the workplace, which can have huge effects on employee satisfaction and morale.

An overall cultural shift

With Gen Z entering the workforce (myself included), companies must meet certain standards when it comes to their workplace culture: 90% of young talent expect more from their employers than any previous generation. Beyond better pay, Gen Z is looking for a company that reflects their own values in terms of diversity, inclusion, or simply safety and mutual respect.

Bearing this in mind, we can go one step further and argue that compliance has a hidden role as well - not only complying with the law but also complying with employees' demands and expectations. Implementing systems for whistleblower protection, creates trust between companies and their employees and promotes employee loyalty, ensuring that each individual can thrive professionally and work to their fullest potential without worries of workplace misconduct, or fear of retaliation if they flag it up.

As of today, more than 1/3 of companies do not yet have a whistleblowing system in place. Already this does not promote feelings of safety, transparency and trust within their workforce. On top of this, more traditional industries, such as insurance, are lagging behind in generally implementing better cultural standards within their workplaces. Problems with talent retention and attraction have become top priorities for organisations today as they become increasingly aware of the high standards of employees - both culturally and legally.

So what should companies do?

Companies must set up better whistleblowing procedures from their previous, unused hotlines. Ensuring anonymity is no longer enough. Companies must go one step further and prove to their employees that they are protected from retaliation and effective resolution of cases is their number one priority. This means additional training, awareness (these systems won't help if employees don't know they exist) and effective resolution methods. Additionally, it can be helpful to include employees into the conversation of implementing these systems, to allow them to feel safe and heard.

Being compliant creates better work environments. But you need to have a good workplace culture, with a united and communicative workforce in the first place, to achieve the right level of compliance effectively.

Choosing to set up external whistleblowing technology comes with its benefits. It is highly private for employees coming forward and has the ability to resolve cases more rapidly. Pair that with strong ethics guidelines, clear resolution processes as well as empowered employees, and you'll have a winning combo for a strong foundation of a good company culture.

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What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Do more maths homework! It would’ve made my transition into tech a lot easier.

If you had to choose an alternative career, what would you be doing now?

I would be bridging my love for politics with that of data. I would be pursuing a career in public policy or private intelligence.

At the end of your career, if you were to sit and reflect, what one hope do you have?

I feel hugely privileged to have always been surrounded by opportunities and support from my family, friends, education and now career. I hope that I’ll be able to be able to do the same for others at scale with a special focus on gender equality.