Posted May 23rd, 2024
An anonymous employee survey can be a powerful tool for organizations seeking honest feedback and insights from their workforce. Here are several benefits associated with conducting such surveys:
Incorporating technology like Incogneato to create and administer anonymous employee surveys can further streamline the process, making it easier for organizations to gather feedback quickly and efficiently. With Incogneato’s instant survey creation capabilities, HR departments can design and distribute surveys tailored to their specific needs, allowing for timely feedback collection and analysis.
Overall, anonymous employee surveys are a valuable tool for organizations looking to foster a culture of openness, trust, and continuous improvement. By leveraging the insights gained from these surveys, organizations can create a more positive and productive work environment for their employees.
Posted May 15th, 2024
California’s Senate Bill No. 553 (SB 553) is a significant legislative stride towards fostering safer workplace environments across various sectors in California. This law, signed into effect by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2023, establishes a new written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) requirement for nearly all California employers. The law becomes enforceable on July 1, 2024 and does not have any built-in grace period.
Employers must take proactive steps to comply with Senate Bill 553, ensuring a safer work environment for all employees. Central to this is the creation of an incident reporting system.
Learn more about Senate Bill 553 and it’s requirements here.
Posted February 8th, 2024
We’re excited to share Incogneato’s latest feature aimed at helping you collect even more feedback: Conversation Codes.
These are codes are provided to respondents as an alternative to providing email address—allowing them to hold an anonymous conversation with you simply by providing their unique code.
Some respondents may still be wary of including their email address, despite the fact that it’s never shared and their anonymity is guaranteed. Conversation Codes will allow you to hold more conversations with your respondents, even if they choose not to include an email address.
Just head over to your dashboard and toggle the Provide Conversation Code option (Professional or above plan required). All future respondents will be given a response code.
Posted February 2nd, 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being utilized in various aspects of human resources (HR), transforming how companies manage their workforce and HR processes. Collecting, anonymous feedback is critical to understanding current and ever-changing employee sentiment and remaining engaged with your most important resource. AI can enhance employee engagement.
Here are some specific applications of AI in the HR space.
AI streamlines the recruitment process by automating tasks like resume screening and initial candidate assessments. Tools like applicant tracking systems (ATS) use AI to parse and analyze resumes, helping recruiters identify the most suitable candidates quickly. AI can also assist in writing job descriptions, ensuring they are free from biased language and appealing to a diverse applicant pool.
Chatbots and AI-driven platforms enhance candidate experience by providing instant responses to queries and guiding applicants through the recruitment process. This improves engagement and keeps candidates informed.
AI systems can automate and personalize the onboarding process for new hires. This includes scheduling orientation sessions, providing necessary training materials, and answering common queries, thereby making the onboarding process more efficient and tailored to individual needs.
AI tools analyze employee performance data to provide insights into their strengths and areas for improvement. These tools can also help in setting personalized goals, tracking progress, and offering feedback, leading to a more objective and data-driven performance evaluation process.
AI-driven learning management systems (LMS) offer personalized learning experiences to employees. They can recommend courses and training programs based on an individual’s role, skills, and career aspirations. AI can also track learning progress and adapt training materials to suit different learning styles.
AI tools can analyze employee feedback, surveys, and communication patterns to gauge overall employee sentiment and engagement levels. This helps HR teams identify areas of concern and address them proactively. AI can enhance employee engagement.
AI provides valuable insights into workforce trends, helping in strategic planning and decision-making. It can predict staffing needs, identify skills gaps, and assist in workforce optimization.
These AI-driven tools can handle routine HR queries, provide instant responses to employee questions, and assist in administrative tasks like leave requests and policy inquiries, freeing up HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks.
AI can help in promoting diversity and inclusion by identifying biases in HR processes and suggesting corrective measures. It can ensure that recruitment, promotion, and compensation processes are fair and unbiased.
Some AI applications are designed to monitor employee wellness and provide insights into health trends within the organization. This can include stress level monitoring, suggesting wellness activities, and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
AI in HR is about leveraging technology to make HR processes more efficient, data-driven, and employee-centric. AI can enhance employee engagement. It helps in automating routine tasks, providing personalized experiences, and offering actionable insights, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of HR functions and those professionals managing them.
Posted November 26th, 2023
In an era where transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct are increasingly valued, the need for effective whistleblowing mechanisms has never been greater. Whistleblowers play a crucial role in exposing wrongdoing, corruption, and unethical practices, but they often face significant risks and challenges when coming forward. Enter Incogneato, a groundbreaking platform that has emerged as a universal whistleblowing tool, revolutionizing the way individuals can report misconduct and wrongdoing while preserving their anonymity.
Incogneato is not your typical whistleblowing platform; it transcends traditional methods of reporting misconduct by placing a strong emphasis on security, anonymity, and accessibility. Founded on the principles of protecting whistleblowers and facilitating honest disclosures, Incogneato offers a range of features that make it a universal tool for anyone looking to expose wrongdoing.
One of the most significant barriers to whistleblowing is the fear of retaliation. Incogneato addresses this concern by providing a secure and anonymous platform for individuals to report misconduct. Whistleblowers can submit information without revealing their identity, ensuring they are shielded from potential harm or backlash.
Incogneato’s user-friendly interface and 10-second signup makes it accessible to people from all walks of life. Whether you’re tech-savvy or not, the platform’s intuitive design ensures that anyone can navigate it with ease. This accessibility is crucial in empowering individuals across various industries and organizations to blow the whistle when they witness unethical behavior.
Misconduct knows no boundaries, and neither should whistleblowing. Incogneato offers multilingual support, breaking down language barriers and allowing individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds to report wrongdoing. This inclusivity ensures that no matter where you are in the world, you can make your voice heard.
Incogneato places a premium on the security of both the whistleblowers and the information they provide. All data submitted through the platform is encrypted, safeguarding it from prying eyes. This robust security framework helps maintain trust in the whistleblowing process.
Incogneato recognizes that different organizations may require specific reporting channels. Whether it’s a corporation, government agency, non-profit organization, or educational institution, Incogneato can be tailored to fit the unique needs of each entity. For example, organizations can create distinctly-branded boxes for each reporting need. This customization ensures that the whistleblowing tool is universally applicable across various sectors.
Whistleblowers often wonder about the outcome of their reports. Incogneato streamlines this aspect by providing timely notifications and follow-ups with its unique anonymous reply tool, keeping whistleblowers informed about the progress of their submissions. This transparency reassures them that their efforts are making a difference.
Incogneato’s universal whistleblowing capabilities have the potential to transform the landscape of transparency and accountability across the globe. By offering a secure, anonymous, and user-friendly platform, it empowers individuals to expose wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. This newfound sense of security can encourage more whistleblowers to come forward, leading to the discovery and rectification of unethical practices in various sectors.
Furthermore, Incogneato acts as a powerful deterrent to potential wrongdoers. The knowledge that individuals have a reliable and secure platform to report misconduct sends a clear message that unethical behavior will not be tolerated.
Posted November 13th, 2023
Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in uncovering misconduct, corruption, and unethical practices within organizations. Recognizing the importance of whistleblower protection, the Spanish government took a significant stride towards transparency and accountability by introducing the Whistleblowing Directive. This landmark legislation aims to create a safe and supportive environment for individuals who choose to expose wrongdoing in the public interest. In this article, we delve into Spain’s Whistleblowing Directive, its key provisions, and the potential impact it can have on the country’s governance.
Spain’s Whistleblowing Directive seeks to provide enhanced legal protection for whistleblowers and encourage them to come forward without fear of retaliation. Under the directive, both employees and self-employed individuals who report violations of law, breaches of public trust, or threats to the general interest are eligible for protection. This includes whistleblowers in the private sector, public administration, and nonprofit organizations.
To ensure the safety and security of whistleblowers, the directive emphasizes confidentiality and anonymity. Whistleblowers have the right to remain anonymous throughout the entire reporting process, protecting them from potential reprisals. Confidentiality obligations are placed upon the recipients of the reports, such as employers or authorities, who are required to handle the information in a secure manner and refrain from disclosing the whistleblower’s identity.
The directive mandates organizations to establish internal reporting channels to facilitate the disclosure of misconduct. Employers with over 50 employees or with an annual turnover exceeding €10 million are required to implement effective reporting mechanisms, including clear procedures for receiving, handling, and investigating reports. Additionally, public sector entities and certain organizations in critical sectors, such as finance and healthcare, must comply with these requirements.
A fundamental aspect of the Whistleblowing Directive is its focus on preventing reprisals against whistleblowers. The legislation prohibits any form of retaliation, including dismissal, demotion, harassment, or discriminatory treatment. It empowers whistleblowers to seek legal recourse if they experience adverse actions as a result of their disclosures. The burden of proof is shifted to the employer, who must demonstrate that any measures taken against the whistleblower were unrelated to their reporting activities.
Spain’s Whistleblowing Directive marks a significant step towards promoting transparency, integrity, and accountability in the country. By protecting individuals who expose wrongdoing, the legislation can help uncover corruption, fraud, and other illegal activities that may harm public interest or private organizations. Whistleblowing has the potential to deter misconduct and encourage ethical behavior by creating a culture of accountability.
Moreover, the directive aligns Spain with international best practices and EU standards on whistleblower protection. It puts Spain on par with countries like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which have already implemented comprehensive whistleblower protection laws.
Incogneato, as an anonymous feedback platform, can play a crucial role in supporting Spain’s new Whistleblowing directive in several ways:
By utilizing Incogneato, organizations can effectively implement the Whistleblowing directive’s requirements, enhance their whistleblowing processes, and create a safe environment for individuals to report misconduct. The platform’s features and capabilities contribute to the overall effectiveness and success of Spain’s new Whistleblowing directive in promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity within organizations.
Posted November 1st, 2023
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a significant step in strengthening whistleblower protection laws by declining to hear an appeal in the case brought forward by North Carolina’s Democratic Attorney General. This ruling, which pertains to undercover recordings, is a powerful reminder of the vital role whistleblowers play in upholding accountability, transparency, and ethical standards in society.
The case in question revolves around the activities of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and its undercover investigations into animal cruelty. PETA, a prominent animal rights organization, has frequently relied on covert recordings to expose inhumane practices at various facilities. The organization’s efforts aim to shed light on animal rights violations and advocate for more humane treatment.
However, those being exposed in these recordings have, at times, retaliated legally by claiming that the recordings violated their privacy or property rights. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the justices’ decision to turn away the appeal is a crucial turning point for whistleblowers and their defenders.
The Supreme Court’s decision to reject the appeal sends a strong signal in favor of protecting whistleblowers, and here’s why this ruling is so important:
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to turn away the appeal in the PETA undercover recording case is a significant win for whistleblowers and the broader cause of transparency and accountability. It sends a resounding message that the protection of those who expose wrongdoing is of paramount importance. Whistleblowers serve as the conscience of society, and their contributions must be safeguarded to ensure a just and ethical world. This ruling represents a milestone in the ongoing effort to support and protect whistleblowers, making the path forward brighter for those who seek to uncover the truth and fight for justice.
Posted October 10th, 2022
We’ve been busy making Incogneato Anonymous Boxes better and better as we focus on supporting our business and enterprise customers. In order to best support these customers, we are making changes to Incogneato’s plan pricing.
If you are currently a Professional Plan customer, your pricing will be locked in at $29/mo ($299/yr) as long as your subscription remains active.
If you are currently a Personal Plan customer, we encourage you to upgrade to the Professional Plan before January 1, 2023 to lock in the existing price. If you choose to remain on the Personal Plan, your price will increase from $9/mo ($99/yr) to $19/mo ($199/yr) in 2023.
If you are currently a Premier Plan customer, your pricing will not change.
Please let us know what you think (anonymously of course) and we’ll do our best to answer questions and concerns before the plan changes go into effect.
Posted June 23rd, 2022
“When DEI is strong, people are supported and valued as humans…They’re empowered to do their best work—free from stress, distraction, and harm that results from prejudice, bias, unfair treatment, or the feeling that they have to assimilate or hide their true selves in order to be successful.”
— Mykaela Doane, Head of People at Gtmhub, to Built In
Going into 2022, organizations may have planned to improve or enhance DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) goals. But are they actually succeeding?
In this post, we cover:
DEI includes race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values, national origin, or political beliefs.
Part of improving DEI is setting DEI goals in the first place. You’d think this would be a given, but recent data from Built In’s State of DEI in Tech 2022 report says otherwise.
While 40% of company leaders planned to report on DEI metrics in 2022, 30% say their companies currently have no DEI programs or are making poor progress toward DEI goals. Why?
Let’s use hiring as an example. Companies missed their DEI hiring goals in 2021 due to:
Have employers succeeded in building more diverse workforces? Yes and no. Regarding gender, over 64% of respondents in the 2022 survey identified as women—-a jump from over 51% who responded in 2020.
However, non-binary employees are still underrepresented. Eighty-seven percent of non-binary individuals make up less than 10 percent of staff. Anti–LGBTQ discrimination is still all-too-prevalent. According to CNBC, over 45% of LGBTQ workers say they’ve experienced unfair treatment at work, including being fired, not hired, or harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity at some point in their lives.
That doesn’t mean that LGBTQ workers feel that they have to suffer in silence. Three-fourths say that it’s crucial for them to work at a company where they’re comfortable expressing their identity, and two-thirds say they’d leave their current job if they felt they couldn’t do so.
In matters of racial disparity, workforces were reportedly 20% more diverse in 2022 than in 2020. While workforces with Black or African American employees increased by 13%, they remain glaringly underrepresented. Almost two in three companies (62%) say Black or African American employees account for less than 10 percent of their workforce.
One area that notably improved was the hiring of employees with mental disabilities. In 2020, 36% of companies said they had no employees with disabilities. The number dropped to 12% in 2022. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for ageism in tech. Nearly 90% of employers say that their workforce has employees aged 56 and older. Nineteen percent say that they have zero employees aged 56 and older.
Today’s chaotic business climate likely impedes DEI efforts. Right now, organizations have to deal with:
However, the reasons above aren’t valid excuses to deprioritize diversity initiatives. Change begins by first, changing mindsets.
DEI shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise or an afterthought. Companies should look at DEI as a cornerstone attribute—one on which to build successful organizations. If there are leaders who don’t make building a diverse workforce a reality, it’s time to bring in leaders who do.
Beyond mindset, companies should be intentional about how they realize their DEI goals. The Built In report spotlights Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as impactful resources to foster inclusivity and community-building. Employees can form friendships, share experiences, host fun events, and discover ways to give back to the community.
While ERGs are a great way to make employees with underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds feel a sense of belonging, the reality is that those employees end up shouldering much of the burden of DEI work.
“Being an ERG leader is another full-time job, and sometimes ERG leaders are giving more attention towards building an inclusive culture than to their actual day job,” said Ivori Johnson, director of DEIB at ChartHop. “One thing that we’re building out is tying ERG leaders’ responsibilities into their performance reviews. We’re also trying to figure out how we can pay ERG leaders for their work.”
For managers, Harvard Business Review suggests:
“You can create a sense of psychological safety where everyone feels confident and comfortable to take risks, make mistakes, contribute opinions, and be candid about what they are up against…Managers have this power. You have this power.”
— Daisy Auger-Dominguez, DEI executive,
noting that middle managers have more influence than they realize.
Perhaps your company has set DEI goals or acknowledged it’s a priority, but intentions may not match reality. Your employees comprise your organization’s DNA and you must ensure that they feel safe, that they belong, and that they’ve been heard. It all starts by giving them ways to share their honest input, experiences, and ideas. Just one voice can transform your workplace into the exemplary organization it’s meant to be.
Do you want a safe, secure way to listen to your employees on DEI issues?
Posted June 8th, 2022
When you ask yourself, “What are common remote employee challenges?” some obvious answers are communication issues, working across different time zones, and technical woes.
But what about problems that don’t get as much attention–like harassment increasing with remote work, or ‘selectively hearing’ the voice of the employee?
Keep scrolling to learn about challenges your remote employees are experiencing that you may not have considered before.
When you swap in-person meetings for Zoom conferences and desk chatter for Slack, there are fewer boundaries, more opportunities to disguise oneself, and greater susceptibility to harassment.
The EEOC defines harassment as: “Unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), national origin, older age (age 40 plus), disability, or genetic information (including family medical history).”
FastCompany reported some alarming statistics about the uptick in harassment since the pandemic alone:
“Since the start of the pandemic, employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild Wild West, and the usual rules don’t apply,” said Jennifer Brown, DEI expert, to the New York Times. “…HR in most workplaces still has not caught up to what virtual forms of misconduct and harassment look and feel like, and there’s a lack of policies and procedures around what is acceptable.”
Organizations must develop standards for unacceptable remote communication on channels like instant messaging, video conferencing, email, etc. A critical part of curbing this behavior is to host discussions and training to show employees you’re holding them accountable and help those who’ve been the target of unwelcome virtual conduct.
According to SHRM, nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work in the pandemic say they now work on weekends. Forty-five percent say they work more hours during the week than they did pre-pandemic, and working parents were more likely to work on weekends than childless employees.
“While remote work affords employees more flexibility, it makes disconnecting extremely difficult,” said Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director at Robert Half. “Many people feel pressure to keep up with rising workloads and are putting in long hours to support the business and customer needs.”
Employees may also feel like their managers take advantage of the lack of commute and travel to assign more work. Being overworked may not only cause employees to seek greener pastures with other employers—it may lead to long-term health problems.
“The pandemic has pushed companies to prioritize employee experience,” said McDonald. “Savvy employers are making lasting changes to support their staff’s needs and well-being, such as providing greater autonomy and flexibility.”
Remote work adds a new layer to company culture and employee engagement. Nearly half of employees say their company doesn’t have an established feedback loop, according to research from SpiralMethod, an executive coaching company.
Transparency is also a common issue. Three-fourths of employees say that more transparency would boost their morale and improve their company’s success.
While employees value transparency and feedback, there is clearly a disconnect for most organizations to realize those principles. Leaders also must recognize that even though they may receive employee feedback, it may not be honest.
“In many cases, management is hearing what they want to hear,” says Leslie Jones, SpiralMethod founder. “If you’re not listening to the growing voice of your employees, you’re missing an enormous opportunity to cement your company culture in trust —and they will know it. There’s so much you can learn from your teams if you really listen with an authentic concern to hearing them.”
The remote work era has transformed business culture. Workplace principles are constantly evolving. Leaders must be aware that just because their employees haven’t directly complained doesn’t mean they’re not struggling.
Organizations need to provide ways for remote employees to give authentic feedback. Even though they’re not physically present in an office, you should still make sure they’re heard.
Do you want a way to capture candid, remote employee feedback? We’re here to help.