Give employees a secure and discreet way to report confidential workplace issues, with safe routing based on the type of issue.
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Confidential Reporting is a reporting method where an employee’s identity is disclosed to and verified by a specific, restricted individual and group (typically HR or Legal), but is strictly protected from the rest of the organization.
Unlike anonymous reporting, where the reporter remains unknown to everyone, confidential reporting allows HR to maintain traceability for direct follow-up, evidence gathering, and personalized support while protecting the identity of the reporter. This approach is standard in modern case management systems to address sensitive issues like harassment or discrimination, ensuring compliance with internal privacy policies while protecting the reporter from potential retaliation.
| Feature | Standard Case | Confidential Case |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Identity | Visible to relevant managers and department leads. | Known to HR, but protected from wider visibility. |
| Visibility | Open to standard HR administrators and the reporting chain. | Restricted strictly to specific, authorized HR personnel. |
| Traceability | High; used for routine operational follow-up. | High; HR can follow up directly while maintaining the "firewall." |
| Typical Use Cases | Payroll queries, benefits enrollment, or general policy questions. | Sensitive misconduct, harassment, or discrimination. |
| Technology Support | Standard visibility settings in HRIS tools. | Advanced permission sets within case management tools. |
| Legal/Compliance | Managed under general data processing rules. | Required to comply with strict internal access and privacy policies. |
Ways to Set Up Confidential Case Reporting
You have two ways to set up confidential case reporting. Use the approach that fits your org.
- (Recommended) Case visibility policies: Deploy pre-built confidential visibility rules on the Case object directly from the Employee User Settings card in Setup without creating custom sharing rules. Choose this approach for new implementations.
- (Previous approach) Public complaint case junction entity: Limit who can see confidential case details through the public complaint case junction entity, with separate access settings and reporting steps. Continue with this approach only if your org already relies on it.
- Restrict Confidential Case Access with Case Visibility Policies
Use case visibility policies, the recommended approach for new implementations, to deploy pre-built visibility rules on the Case object directly from the Employee User Settings card in Setup without creating custom sharing rules or writing code. - Protect Confidential Cases with the Public Complaint Case Junction Entity
Before case visibility policies, filing a confidential case required the public complaint case junction entity. With the junction entity, you set the required access and system settings, and your employees submit confidential reports through the Employee Portal or Agentforce, where reports are flagged and routed to HR. For new implementations, use case visibility policies.