Confidentiality
Trust is not a feature. It's the foundation.
Employees won't use a resource they don't trust. So it's worth being precise about how this actually works — for employees and for the HR leaders responsible for the program.
What employers receive
- Anonymized, aggregated utilization information
- Organizational trend information, where volume allows
- General themes about types of workplace conflict
- Program administration and invoicing information
What employers do not routinely receive
- The identity of an employee who reached out
- A play-by-play of individual conversations
- Notes, transcripts or recordings of sessions
- Details that could reasonably identify a specific employee
Aggregated reporting
Patterns, not people.
Reporting is designed to describe how the program is being used, not who is using it. Employers may see how many conversations occurred in a period, broad categories of workplace conflict and general trends over time.
Where the number of conversations in a group is small enough that reporting could reasonably identify an individual, we suppress or combine that detail rather than report it.
The purpose of reporting is organizational: to help leaders understand where friction is concentrating, not to review individual employees.
Limits
Confidentiality is designed to be private—not absolute.
These limits are explained to employees before substantive conversations begin. We would rather be clear up front than surprise someone later.
Safety concerns
If there is an indication of a serious risk of harm to an individual, disclosure to appropriate parties may be necessary.
Legal requirements
Confidentiality is subject to applicable law, including any legally required reporting or valid legal process.
Appropriate referrals
Some situations belong with HR, compliance, legal counsel, an EAP or safety resources. We tell the employee that directly, and we help them get there.
Participation by others
When a facilitated conversation or mediation involves another employee, what is shared in that room is shared with the people in it.
Conflict Line does not provide legal advice and does not replace HR, EAP services, compliance functions, legal counsel, workplace investigations, formal reporting procedures or emergency and safety resources. Specific confidentiality terms are described in employer agreements and in the information provided to employees.
Your policies can't have a conversation.
Bring your privacy questions. We'd rather answer them now.
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