In short, yes. Report + Support is a confidential, anonymous reporting system.
We recognise that not everyone feels comfortable attaching their contact information to a report about unacceptable behaviour. We know freelancers may worry that reporting could negatively impact future work opportunities, while staff may worry about the impact on their role and workplace relationships. This is why we’ve chosen a reporting system that offers an anonymous reporting option.
If you choose to report anonymously on Report and Support, you will not be asked for any identifying information e.g. your name or contact details. The system’s complex security encryption does not allow us or the site's developer Culture Shift to see any identifying data such as the your IP address, device or location so there is no way to track back to you.
Please note this means that if you submit an anonymous report you will not get a confirmation or any follow up unless you tick that you would like to use two-way messaging – see below for more details on two-way messaging.
When an anonymous report is received by the NT's People and Culture department, the information is analysed alongside other reports to spot themes and trends and to identify specific incidents and patterns. For example, if we get several reports about the same incident, person or department, we will investigate further and take action based on what we know. Please note that direct action based on an anonymous report will be limited in comparison to an open report with a named person reporting an incident. This is because without a named source it is harder to gather additional information, clarify details, and assess the credibility of the allegations.
However, anonymous reports do contribute to change. Line managers, Heads of Department and People Business Partners will use the information provided via Report and Support reports (both anonymous and open reports) to inform the NT's work to address underlying issues and causes of unacceptable behaviour and prevent further incidents from taking place.
You can read about how we work with data here.