How the World’s Most Ethical Companies build stronger cultures: key takeaways for compliance leaders

Building an ethical culture is no longer a “nice-to-have”, it’s a business imperative. But how do you actually measure culture? And what separates truly ethical organizations from those simply checking the box? In a recent webinar, Doing right, made easy: How the world's most ethical companies build stronger cultures, SpeakUp CEO Tim Morss and Ethisphere’s VP of Data Strategy, Douglas Allen, unpacked these questions.

In this blog, we share the key takeaways every compliance leader should know to strengthen their speak-up culture, reduce risk, and build trust across the organization.

1. Stop relying on case volumes alone

The myth of “low reports = healthy culture”

Many organizations monitor hotline reports and believe fewer reports signal less misconduct. But the reality is far more nuanced. Low case volumes can signal:

• Fear of retaliation

• Lack of awareness on how to report

• Low confidence that reports lead to action

• Cultural norms discouraging formal reporting

Compliance leaders must avoid oversimplifying case data. A strong ethical culture isn’t about fewer reports: it’s about employees feeling safe to raise concerns, and knowing those concerns will be addressed.

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2. Measure ethical culture with multiple data sources

Why mature compliance programs use mixed methods

Leading organizations don’t rely on one data point to assess culture. Instead, they combine:

• Employee surveys (for quantitative perception data)

• Site visits (to observe on-the-ground behavior)

• Focus groups and interviews (to capture nuance)

• Social listening (to identify external sentiment on platforms like Glassdoor)

This multi-modal approach provides both quantitative and qualitative insights — critical for identifying risks that may be invisible in raw data.

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3. Don’t measure without a plan to act

The “why” matters before you launch any survey

One of the most common pitfalls is conducting culture assessments without clear objectives. Compliance teams must ask:

• What do we want to learn?

• Which business units or geographies do we need insights from?

• Are leaders ready to act on what we find?

Critically, employees need to see follow-through. Sharing results, action plans, and even communicating what will not change builds trust. The worst outcome is silence after asking for employee feedback.

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4. Managers are the frontline of speak-up culture

Leadership isn’t only about the tone at the top

While senior leadership sets expectations, employees often report directly to their managers first. In many organizations, frontline managers receive up to 7–10 times more concerns than official hotlines.

Compliance leaders must invest in manager training so supervisors:

• Know how to respond to concerns

• Direct reports appropriately to formal channels

• Reinforce that retaliation will not be tolerated

Without manager readiness, even the best whistleblowing systems will fail to build trust.

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5. Build transparency to overcome fear of retaliation

Transparency is the antidote to employee fear

Fear of retaliation remains one of the top reasons employees stay silent. To reduce this fear, compliance leaders should:

• Publicly share anonymized reporting data

• Explain investigation outcomes where possible

• Educate employees on possible corrective actions (not every report leads to termination)

• Use real case examples (internally or from external benchmarks)

Transparency builds confidence that the system works , and encourages reporting when it matters most.

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6. Use benchmarks to define “good”

Contextualize your data with industry peers

Without benchmarking, even positive-looking data can be misleading. For example, a 90% awareness rate on the Code of Conduct may be excellent for some sectors, but lagging for others. Using external benchmarks helps:

• Set realistic goals

• Identify weak spots

• Demonstrate program maturity to the board

Benchmarking against global standards, like Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies dataset, gives compliance leaders actionable context to improve.

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Conclusion: ethical culture is a continuous journey

Technology provides the infrastructure for secure, accessible reporting. But sustainable ethical cultures require:

• Consistent leadership messaging

• Transparent communication

• Localized engagement strategies

• Ongoing measurement and benchmarking

By focusing on trust, communication, and accountability, compliance leaders can build cultures where doing the right thing becomes second nature.

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Looking for a scalable way to build your speak-up culture? Learn how SpeakUp helps global organizations simplify compliance, foster trust, and empower employees to speak up safely. Book a demo.