Internal Reporting Benchmarks for Speak-Up Culture

What is reporting rate?

Reporting rate or ‘reports per 100 employees’ is one of the most widely used risk and compliance reporting metrics. Relative to the size of your workforce, it shows how often employees raise concerns and includes all intake channels – web, hotline, open-door and more. 

This internal reporting benchmark gives you a clearer way to compare reporting activity across workforces of different sizes. It also gives you a more consistent way to track performance over time, especially as headcount changes, because it shows reporting activity relative to workforce size rather than raw case totals.

What is a good reporting rate?

There is no single number that defines a “good” reporting rate. A rate that looks high in one organization may be typical in another, and industry, geography, workforce size and program maturity all shape reporting volume. 

What matters is context, as without it, your reporting rate is just a number without a useful point of reference. NAVEX benchmark data helps you see whether your reporting level looks typical for your industry and size or whether you should find ways to improve.

Reporting rates are rising – what that means

Reporting rates have increased steadily over time – in fact, reports per 100 employees have risen by nearly 75% over the past 15 years, according to our annual benchmark report data.  

This increase reflects broader employee reporting trends: more employees are using the channels available to them, while reporting is becoming a more accepted part of healthy workplace and speak-up culture. Stronger whistleblowing protections, greater awareness and easier access to reporting channels are also helping drive change.

What your reporting rate may indicate

Your reporting rate can offer useful context on how your reporting environment is functioning. On its own, it will not tell you everything, but it can help point to patterns worth paying attention to, such as trust in the speak-up process and channel visibility.  

A higher rate may reflect stronger awareness of reporting channels, greater confidence in the outcome and more faith that leadership will take concerns seriously 

A lower rate may suggest barriers such as low visibility, limited access, uncertainty about what to report or fear of retaliation 

Changes over time could signal shifts in culture, communication, leadership behavior or overall program engagement

What you’ll learn in this benchmark guide

This guide breaks down the key benchmarks and trends shaping whistleblowing and incident reporting – so you can better understand your data and act with confidence. You’ll learn:  

• How to interpret reports per 100 employees as an internal reporting benchmark 
• Global reporting rate benchmark trends across industries and regions 
• What reporting volume may signal about employee reporting trends and culture 
• Key drivers behind changes in incident reporting rate over time 
• Ways to empower reporting behavior and build a culture of transparency

Who this benchmark guide is for

This guide is for anyone responsible for understanding or improving internal reporting. If you oversee compliance, ethics, risk, HR, or speak-up programs, this guide will help you interpret reporting activity and compare it to global reporting rate benchmarks. 

You’ll also find this useful if you are building or maturing your program and need a clearer view of how your reporting rate compares to your peers.

Built on 15 years of reporting data

his benchmark guide is built on more than 15 years of global data from the world’s largest repository of incident data. This gives you a long-term view of reporting rate benchmarks, hotline reporting rate patterns and broader employee reporting trends. 

Get your focused guide to reports per 100 employees to understand what your reporting rate might signal and where to focus next. 

For the most recent whistleblowing and incident management trends across multiple metrics, explore our full 2026 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report.