When should I “Speak Up”?
At Co-op we take whistleblowing very seriously and are committed to independently investigating any allegations raised. If you do see or suspect any malpractice or wrong-doing we want you to tell us about it. You don’t need to have any proof that these things are happening - if you have a reasonable belief, you should report your concerns.
You should use this independent “Speak Up” service if you see or suspect:
- Bribery, fraud or other criminal offence
- A miscarriage of justice
- A risk to colleague and/or public health and safety
- A risk or actual damage to the environment
- A breach of any other legal or professional obligation
- Discriminatory behaviour
- Someone is covering up wrongdoing
The “Speak Up” service is not for grievances. A grievance is usually a complaint about something that impacts a colleague as an individual, like how they feel they’re being treated at work. Please see the ‘Got a question?’ section below for more information.
How do I “Speak Up”?
You can contact your, free and confidential, “Speak up” service 24/7 by calling Safecall on 0800 915 1571 or online through the ‘Share a Workplace Concern’ option below. Your report won’t be traced and Safecall has trained operators to support you.
As part of your report please think about:
- Providing clear details about where and when the issue occurred. This should include Co-op location (for example, name and address of Food store / depot / office / Funeralcare home etc), dates and any colleagues involved / aware. This will make our investigations a lot easier.
- You have the opportunity to remain anonymous. While doing so may help you feel more comfortable raising a concern, it may also impact our ability to successfully investigate and resolve the matter. You can also remain partially anonymous, whereby Safecall won’t share your name with Co-op. Making yourself available to be contacted may help the investigator to fully understand the issue and take appropriate action.
Got a question?
The “Speak Up” service is not for grievances. It’s important to understand that whistleblowing is different to a grievance. Both are equally important and need to be investigated. A grievance is usually a complaint about something that impacts a colleague as an individual, like how they feel they’re being treated at work.
We have a separate Grievance Process to manage these concerns. The Co-op also has a confidential colleague helpline for bullying and harassment, please call: 0844 728 0165 or harassmentandbullyingcomplaints@coop.co.uk.
Whether you contact Safecall through the online ‘Share a Workplace Concern’ option above, or by phone (0800 915 1571), your report will be managed in confidence. Safecall will pass all the information you give, apart from your name if you wish, to the Internal Audit team who will make sure your concern is looked into thoroughly, confidentially and independently.
If we need more information to help progress our investigation, we’ll post a request on the Safecall website which you can access using the username and password provided during your original report. You can provide further information, or request feedback on your concern, via both the Safecall website and the above telephone number. Please leave 5 working days to allow us to make preliminary enquiries.
It’s important that we keep things confidential, so we may not be able to tell you about any investigations or actions we take in relation to the issue you’ve told us about. But any updates we are able to provide to you, we trust you treat the information we give you as confidential.