The whistleblowing culture is increasingly becoming an essential component of all compliance programs. However, careless promotion of these channels can significantly complicate their effectiveness and lead to misunderstandings.
In this article, we will discuss the most common mistakes (as seen by us) made in distributing information about whistleblowing channels. Learning about these mistakes will help companies and organizations improve the effectiveness of their whistleblowing channels and ensure greater transparency and trust among employees and contractors.
Many companies overlook the importance of making their channels accessible to everyone. It's concerning to note that the company's website has no whistleblowing channels. Employees may feel discouraged from speaking up about any potential wrongdoing without clear means of reporting concerns. Having a designated section on the website for whistleblowing can help foster a culture of transparency and accountability, which will benefit both the company and its employees. Whistleblowing channels shouldn't appear at the top of Google searches, like a General Hotline, confusing people and provoking them to apply for every problem they have, including generic questions and irrelevant issues.
Companies sometimes deliberately limit channel access to prevent unrelated parties from using them, as people often turn to all channels for answers. In cases that are needed to manage a high volume of requests, Ethicontrol advises against hiding communication channels. Instead, it is recommended to implement primary processing procedures for web form reports and email, and specialists will filter the relevance of requests. Additionally, special IVRs can be set up to inform people about the issues they can report to the hotline.
Consistently, companies fail to consider that reporters may not have easy access to communication channels, which can increase the risk of corruption and ethical violations within the organization. This is the second issue that needs to be addressed. Therefore, in any case, it is necessary to make whistleblowing channels easily accessible to everyone.
How to place information about whistleblowing channels more effectively? Ethicontrol relies on its extensive experience to effectively place information on the company's website. In a special section, reporters can find out which channels they can use to report violations and misconduct, at the same time they can also access additional information. It's best to place the communication channels on the contacts page as a best practice.
Limiting the promotion of whistleblowing channels to just the company's employees is a significant problem that should not be overlooked. By restricting the focus, the organization is potentially missing out on valuable insights and information from external sources, which could be critical to the company's success. Therefore, it is essential to expand the scope of whistleblowing channels to ensure accessibility for everyone, regardless of their relationship with the company. According to the investigation of ACFE "Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations", 55% of reports come from employees, while 45% come from customers, suppliers, or anonymously.
This data indicates that whistleblowing channels must be available to all individuals involved in company activities, including employees, contractors, and their relatives.
Some companies only conduct awareness campaigns about whistleblowing channels internally, when it's important to announce publicly. It's also a good idea to provide training for contractors.
If a client requests, Ethicontrol can assist in creating posters, brochures, or videos that explain how whistleblowing channels work. These materials can be used by companies for training employees, sharing information within the organization, or posting on their websites.
A clear and understandable name for whistleblowing channels is key to their effectiveness. If the name doesn't indicate the purpose of these channels, users may be confused and not use them. A "Hotline" is not a "Trust line", and a "Leave your feedback" or "Contact us" form is not a whistleblowing channel. It is currently quite common for European companies to make this mistake. Simply having a communication channel at one's disposal is not enough. The names of whistleblowing channels should be transparent and clear to everyone, even to those who may not be familiar with the concept of "whistleblowing." It should be evident to them that they can safely report any problems or violations within the company.
When a reporting channel has a generic name, it can create confusion, as it may appear to be a general information channel. To avoid such confusion, it is crucial that the name of the channel explicitly indicates that its purpose is for reporting violations.
In addition to the name, it is worth paying attention to the description of the channels, which will help a person to find out if they are reporting to the right address. A couple of sentences about what the channels are for and what they do will not take up much space on the website but will help reporters and reduce the number of irrelevant requests.
Companies need to provide whistleblowers with clear information about the anonymity of their reports. This information can help whistleblowers who are hesitant to come forward understand that their anonymity is guaranteed, and they have nothing to fear.
The unattractiveness of whistleblowing channels from a visual point of view is one of the most common mistakes that can affect their effectiveness. In today's digital world, where visual content is central, information about whistleblowing channels must be attractive and understandable.
The appearance and design of a company's reporting channels can affect a whistleblower's first impression. If whistleblowing channels look unformatted or even sloppy, it can create a sense of unreliability and indifference to the problems identified by whistleblowers.
Moreover, the unattractiveness of the channels can convey the impression that the company does not pay enough attention to the issue of whistleblowers, or that these channels exist only for formality. This can undermine trust in the company and reduce the motivation of whistleblowers to contact their reports.
It is crucial to design whistleblowing channels in a visually appealing manner to encourage more whistleblowers to come forward and cooperate.
It's important to include links to company policies and codes when placing information about whistleblowing channels. Without these links, there can be several negative consequences.
Links to company policies and codes are important elements, as they define the standards of conduct and ethics required of employees and stakeholders. These documents may also contain important information about the procedures for handling whistleblower reports, mechanisms for protecting whistleblowers, and other important information.
It is important to include links to the company's policies and codes when dealing with whistleblower issues. This action confirms the company's commitment to resolving these issues and maintaining compliance with internal standards. Overall, it can help whistleblowers feel more confident in the reporting process, knowing that their rights and confidentiality will be protected.
Therefore, including links to company policies and codes is an important action in ensuring transparency, openness, and compliance with the highest ethical standards in working with whistleblowers.
Moreover, the proper placement and promotion of information about whistleblowing channels is an important component of corporate ethics and helps to build trust among all stakeholders.