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The "deafening silence" that often follows an investigation can make it seem like speaking up didn't achieve anything, so it's important to remind employees that not seeing action doesn't mean none was taken, a workplace conflict specialist says.

"A few organisations have come out and [are] publishing, now, how many complaints they've had," says Lindall West, the managing director and founder of Ombpoint.

If employers can show that issues have been raised in the past, and they've been dealt with, that that's a "starting point" to both encourage future reporting, and discourage future harassment, she tells HR Daily.

But not every employer can adopt this approach. If an organisation with 100 employees reports that two have left following a complaint investigation, there's a risk those two people will be identified. The reporting element relies on large cohorts of people, West says, because otherwise it cuts across privacy obligations...