Blog

Reporting a Colleague Shouldn’t Mean Ending Their Career

I was recently working with a world-leading hospitality company when someone from the people team made a statement that really impressed me.  The staff member said to an assembled group of leaders, “Just because you report a colleague doesn’t mean they will always lose their job.”  I thought, what a great response.  Not because it … Continue reading Reporting a Colleague Shouldn’t Mean Ending Their Career

Sometimes the most important thing we can do is interrupt – World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2026

Suicide is not an abstract subject for me.  In 2008, I lost my dad to suicide. That experience has stayed with me. It has shaped how I think about prevention, about friendship, about silence and, increasingly, about the responsibility we all have to notice when someone is struggling.  So today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, … Continue reading Sometimes the most important thing we can do is interrupt – World Suicide Prevention Day, 10 September 2026

Disturb the Silence: Why the British Army Needs More People Willing to Speak Up

“People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening…”. Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” was never written about military culture. Yet its central idea has a striking relevance to the modern British Army. Sometimes the most dangerous sound in an organisation isn’t shouting.  It is silence.  Silence when someone makes a sexualised joke.  Silence … Continue reading Disturb the Silence: Why the British Army Needs More People Willing to Speak Up

When More Whistleblowers Is Good News: Why Active Bystandership Can Increase Reporting

Bad news sells; that's clear. However, do the headlines always communicate the truth? When organisations announce that whistleblowing reports have increased, the reaction is often predictable. Headlines suggest something has gone wrong. Leaders become defensive. Employees wonder whether the workplace has become more toxic. A recent report from the Scottish media suggested that the City … Continue reading When More Whistleblowers Is Good News: Why Active Bystandership Can Increase Reporting