BBVA has dismissed 169 employees in 2025 who were accused by colleagues in the internal whistleblower channel. BBVA ‘s data in 2025 are an X-ray of corporate health, not of crisis:
- ~2,400 internal complaints.
- 37% resulted in disciplinary measures.
- 169 layoffs in 2025 and 609 layoffs in the last four years.
For an organization of 120,000 employees, these numbers show that the system works. But the most relevant thing is not the punishment, but the information.
The extrapolation: What does this mean for a company with 100 employees?
| Concept | BBVA (120k emp.) | Company 100 emp. |
| Communications/year | 2.400 | 2 complaints |
| Disciplinary measures | 37% | ~0.7 cases/year |
| Layoffs | 169/year | 1 every 7 years |
In an SME it is normal to have 1-3 communications per year. If you have had a zero counter for years, it’s not that you are a perfect organization; it’s that you probably have a problem of organizational deafness.
The Channel as an engine of Active Listening
At ithikios we believe that a well-managed channel is the most honest work climate sensor there is. BBVA’s data confirms it: More than 55% of the complaints are labor grievances. Only 5% are possible frauds.
This is a game changer. The channel stops being “the policeman” and becomes a Cultural Radar:
- Detect mismanaged leadership before it causes talent leakage.
- Identifies frictions between departments that hinder productivity.
- Listen to what is “uncomfortable” in the trenches, not what looks good in a PowerPoint.
From Friction to Continuous Improvement
The difference between a naïve company and a mature company is how it uses conflict. Every communication in the channel is a learning opportunity:
- The Finding: A bad business practice or procedure that does not work.
- The Analysis: Why did this happen, is it a human error or a system failure?
- Improvement: A process adjustment, specific training or policy change.
This is real continuous improvement. It is not born from a strategy meeting, it is born from listening to the reality of the organization and documenting it in an objective and traceable way.
The real message of the data
BBVA’s 609 layoffs do not mean they have more problems than others. They mean that they have a system that allows:
- See the problem.
- Rigorous research.
- Act consistently.
- Evolve as an organization.
In a company with 100 employees, the real risk is not that there will be conflicts (which there will be), but that you don’t have the structure to manage them. If you are the CEO of the company and you already know the problems, you don’t need the channel, but if you don’t, that’s when it’s especially useful.
Conclusion
A reporting channel is like the immune system: it picks up signals, transforms friction into learning and turns problems into evolution.
The organizations we admire don’t celebrate not having problems; they celebrate having systems that enable them to solve them.
