The smiles disappeared.
“That makes this my responsibility.”
The young analyst looked toward her.
The CEO continued:
“I’m not asking anybody to make accusations in public.”
“I’m not asking anyone to tell me something today because you think the CEO wants a dramatic story.”
“Independent investigators will be available starting this afternoon.”
“Outside counsel.”
“External HR.”
“Anonymous reporting directly to the board.”
“No local manager will see those reports.”
She looked around.
“If someone retaliates against you for participating, tell us.”
“Immediately.”
A hand rose slowly.
It belonged to a white male analyst in his thirties.
The CEO pointed.
“Yes?”
He swallowed.
“What happens to us?”
“What do you mean?”
“If the branch gets shut down.”
Several employees looked toward him.
The CEO understood.
People feared abusive managers.
They also feared losing paychecks.
“We are not shutting down this office today.”
Relief moved through the room.
“But I won’t lie to you.”
“If financial misconduct is as serious as it appears, operations may change.”
She paused.
“No one who reports misconduct in good faith will be punished for management failures.”
Another hand.
The young analyst.
Her voice shook.
“What if we already reported?”
The CEO looked at her.
“And nothing happened?”
The analyst nodded.
The CEO felt anger again.
This time colder.
“Then I owe you an apology.”
The analyst stared.
The CEO continued:
“Not because I personally read and ignored it.”
“I didn’t.”
“But because I run the company that allowed your report to disappear.”
The analyst’s eyes filled.
No one spoke.