Earlier this week, we released the 2026 Whistleblowing Benchmark Report, bringing together a year’s worth of anonymised speak‑up data from over 1,200 organisations worldwide. To explore what the findings mean in practice, we were joined for a webinar by Jenny Segal, Founder and CEO of Speaking with Images, and Victoria Spurdle, who leads speak up at Brown & Brown Europe.
Their perspectives – spanning workplace culture, psychological safety and hands‑on operational experience – helped ground this year’s data in real organisational context. While the Benchmark Report highlights clear shifts in how people are speaking up, one theme kept surfacing throughout the conversation: culture remains the deciding factor.
More people are speaking up – but numbers alone don’t tell the story
The 2026 data shows a continued rise in reporting volumes through external speak‑up channels. On the surface, this suggests greater awareness and willingness to raise concerns. But, as discussed during the webinar, an increase in reports does not automatically point to an increase in misconduct.
Instead, reporting volumes are best understood as an indicator – of confidence, accessibility and trust in speak‑up arrangements. Victoria shared how, within Brown & Brown, the majority of concerns are still raised internally first. That reflects the strength of existing relationships and a culture where employees feel comfortable raising issues early.
This distinction matters. Organisations with strong cultures often see more reporting, not less – precisely because people trust that raising a concern will lead to fair, proportionate action.
Channel choice is evolving – but human connection still matters
One of the clearest trends in this year’s Benchmark is the ongoing shift towards digital reporting channels. While phone was once the dominant reporting channel – accounting for 56% of reports in 2019 – it now represents just 23%
However, the webinar discussion reinforced that this doesn’t make human interaction redundant. Certain categories of concern – particularly those involving bullying, harassment or discrimination – are still disproportionately raised via the phone. As Jenny Segal observed, when issues are highly emotive, people often want to explain, not just submit information.
From a cultural perspective, this underlines the importance of choice. A speak‑up framework that works for compliance on paper but limits how people can raise concerns risks undermining psychological safety in practice.
Anonymity: safeguard, not failure – but culture shapes what happens next
The Benchmark Report also shows anonymity levels have risen 9% since 2019. This is a familiar challenge for many organisations, particularly where anonymous web reports contain limited information.
During the webinar, both guest speakers were clear: anonymity is not, in itself, a sign of a broken culture. For many people, it is the safeguard that allows them to speak up at all. At the same time, though, anonymous reporting does create practical challenges for investigations – especially when reports lack detail or reporters do not re‑engage after submitting a concern.
What makes the difference is how organisations respond. As Victoria explained, Brown & Brown focuses heavily on front‑ending culture: consistent communication, regular training, visible leadership support, and clear messaging about what happens when someone speaks up. Over time, that cultural groundwork reduces fear – and, in turn, reliance on anonymity.
The message from the webinar was clear: you can’t “design out” anonymity, but you can influence whether people feel safe enough to move beyond it.
Culture is shaped – for better or worse – at line manager level
A recurring theme throughout both the Benchmark Report and the webinar discussion was the role of line managers. Data consistently shows that, in most organisations, line managers remain the first place people raise concerns.
Jenny Segal highlighted the cultural implications of this: people rarely leave organisations in the abstract; they leave individual relationships. Where managers lack confidence, empathy or training, it directly impacts psychological safety – and whether concerns are raised early or escalate later.
The strongest cultures are those where line managers are equipped not just with policies, but with the skills to listen, respond appropriately and escalate when needed.
Governance expectations are rising – and culture underpins them
Beyond culture, organisations are also operating in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Boards and audit committees are being asked to demonstrate independence, oversight, escalation and follow‑through when concerns are raised.
Victoria shared how whistleblowing reporting at Brown & Brown is reviewed at board level, with visibility over trends, investigation outcomes and actions taken. But, as discussed, governance only works when it is supported by culture. Data and dashboards matter – but so does trust, consistency and leadership behaviour.
The enduring takeaway: speak‑up culture is never “done”
If there was one consistent message from the webinar, it was this: speak‑up culture isn’t built by a system alone. It is shaped every day by leadership behaviour, line management capability, communication, and what happens after a concern is raised.
The 2026 Benchmark Report provides vital insight into emerging trends – but as Jenny and Victoria reminded us, the real question for organisations is not just what the data shows, but what people experience when they choose to speak up.