Speak Up Culture at Work: The John Lewis Gazette Story
Want a real speak up culture at work? Meet the 1918 John Lewis Gazette, where 74,000 employees wrote anonymous feedback and leaders had to answer in print.
A real speak up culture at work isn't built with a slogan, it's built with a system. In 1918, UK retailer John Lewis launched an internal newspaper called the Gazette, where any of its 74,000 employees could raise complaints anonymously, and named leaders had to answer in print. Here's what that century-old idea can teach Indian offices about giving employees an actual voice.
TL;DR- John Lewis, a UK retailer with about 74,000 employees, has run an internal newspaper called the Gazette since 1918
- Employees write anonymous complaints and feedback; their names are never printed
- Twice a year, an elected employee council questions the chairman directly, with no repercussions
- Most Indian offices ask "any questions?" in meetings and get silence, then hear the real issues later
- A real speak up culture needs a system, not just an open-door policy
What Is a "Speak Up Culture" and Why Do Most Offices Lack It?
A speak up culture at work means employees feel safe raising a concern, a disagreement, or a piece of honest feedback, and trust that a leader will actually respond. Most Indian offices claim to have one. Very few do. The usual test is a meeting: someone asks "any questions?", the room stays silent, and everyone assumes the silence means agreement. It rarely does. What's missing isn't willingness to speak, it's a system that makes speaking safe.
The John Lewis Gazette: A 100-Year-Old Speak-Up System
John Lewis, a UK retailer with about 74,000 employees, solved this in 1918 with an internal newspaper called the Gazette. Every month, it printed whatever staff wanted to say: complaints about a policy, frustration with a manager's behaviour, or a responsibility nobody was owning. Anyone could write in, and their identity stayed hidden. More than a century later, the Gazette is still running, and it remains one of the clearest real-world examples of a working speak up system.
| Aspect | Typical Office | John Lewis Gazette Model |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback channel | "Any questions?" at the end of a meeting | Monthly internal newspaper open to all 74,000 employees |
| Anonymity | Rare, and often feared | Guaranteed; the writer's name is never printed |
| Who must respond | Often nobody, or an informal reply | The named person or leader must respond in print |
| Escalation path | No structured process | Elected employee council questions the chairman twice a year |
| Where complaints go | The parking lot, after the meeting ends | Into a transparent, published record |
How Anonymous Feedback Actually Worked at John Lewis
The mechanics mattered as much as the idea. A writer's name was never published, and crucially, the person or policy being criticised had no authority to investigate or "cross-verify" who had written it. That single rule removed the fear of backlash entirely. Employees could say what they actually thought, month after month, without wondering if it would cost them their next appraisal or their manager's goodwill.
Why Employees Stay Silent in Meetings, Then Vent in the Parking Lot
I see the opposite pattern constantly in Indian workplaces. As I describe it: लोग हेजिटेट करते हैं, सोचते हैं यहां पर कुछ बोल दूंगा तो बैकफायर हो जाएगा, और वही लोग नीचे पार्किंग में आने के बाद बताते हैं — "people hesitate, thinking if they say something here it'll backfire, and the same people go down to the parking lot afterward and say what's really wrong." The concern doesn't disappear. It just moves somewhere leadership can't hear it, and can't fix it.
The Employee Council That Questions the Chairman Directly
Twice a year, John Lewis takes this further: roughly 50 to 55 employees, elected by their peers, form a council with direct authority to question the chairman, in person, with no repercussions for what gets asked. Employees stop being just staff and start acting like stakeholders, because the system gives them real standing, not a token gesture.
How to Build a Speak Up Culture in Your Own Team
Building this in your own team, through leadership training or simply as a habit, starts small: a written or anonymous question round after every session, a visible response to what comes in, and consistency over months, not one town hall a year. The goal isn't comfort for leaders, it's a channel that outperforms the parking lot.
Speak Up Culture at Work: The Leadership Takeaway
A speak up culture at work isn't a value statement on the wall, it's a mechanism people trust because they've watched it work, repeatedly, without punishing anyone. If you're building this kind of culture in your organisation, I work with teams on exactly this through team culture and leadership programs. The first question worth asking isn't whether your people have things to say. It's whether your company actually gives them the authority to say it.
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Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · 11+ yrs experience Avinash has trained Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a speak up culture at work?
A speak up culture at work is a workplace where employees feel safe raising concerns, disagreements and feedback without fear of punishment, and where leaders actually respond. It requires a real system, not just an open-door policy that nobody uses.
What was the John Lewis Gazette?
The John Lewis Gazette is an internal newspaper the UK retailer John Lewis has published since 1918 for its roughly 74,000 employees. Staff could submit complaints and feedback anonymously, and the person or policy named had to be answered in print, with no way to trace who wrote it.
Why do employees stay silent in meetings even when they disagree?
Employees stay silent because they fear backlash: raising an issue in front of a leader feels risky, so people hesitate, then voice the same concern informally once the meeting is over, often in the parking lot, where nothing changes.
How can a leader build a speak up culture on their team?
Start with a structured, low-risk channel for feedback, such as a written or anonymous question round after every session, respond to what comes in publicly and consistently, and create a periodic forum where a representative group can question leadership directly without consequences.
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