Smart business owners recognize whistleblowers as allies, not snitches. While it can be frustrating to learn of unethical behavior, whistleblowers present an opportunity for greater transparency and honesty in your organization.
Unfortunately, though, they are too often seen as traitors who sell out their colleagues. Because of this, many employees have a very real fear of their whistleblowing reflecting back onto them. This fear often prevents folks from speaking up about sensitive issues.
Overlooking unethical behavior, however, can slowly poison a business from inside out. Turning a blind eye sends a bad message to everyone employed there: fraudulent and inappropriate behavior is acceptable and no consequences should be expected. Even the most moral of employees can get dragged down into the emotional trenches when they see everyone else acting unethically. At best, these well-intentioned, would-be whistleblowers grow depressed and unmotivated to perform their duties.
Avoid Ethical Burnout
If you’re hoping to avoid this kind of ethical burnout, it’s crucial that you make a small investment in a whistleblower hotline service. Such a hotline can provide workers with a round-the-clock option to report misconduct in a confidential manner. A third party whistleblower hotline provides the kind of ethical oversight necessary for a successful business to function. Highly-trained administrative professionals can help guide your employees through the steps of reporting their workplace concerns in anonymously.
A whistleblower hotline service goes beyond just encouraging employees to come forward with their confidential reports, though. Such a service can actively discourage unethical behavior from your team. Knowing how easy it is to call in immoral and fraudulent employees can be enough to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place.
A Change in Culture
Imagine how differently your office culture might be with the force of a whistleblower hotline provider at your fingertips. Regular communication from you to your staff encouraging them to speak up with their concerns must occur. While your company handbook, code of ethics and introductory training materials might initially mention your desire for transparency, a hotline for whistleblowers can reinforce these ideas long after a new employee starts.
Sophisticated and experienced intake interviews can add to the level of trust in your workplace, too. With a whistleblower hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, your employees will never have an excuse not to call. They’ll feel encouraged by the friendly, empathetic voice on the end of the line. A positive experience can influence the odds of a person reporting another incident in the future. You can even use your hotline service to conduct exit interviews as well to get the most honest feedback from the process. Raising the red flag has never been easier than after partnering with an anonymous whistleblower hotline service.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Easy to use and simple to implement, such a service is encouraged by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The act set new requirements for private and publicly held enterprises, outlining procedures of reporting requirements. It encourages companies to effectively communicate reporting procedures in a simple way. Partnering with a Sarbanes-Oxley compliant whistleblower hotline is an easy, effective way to ensure you’re following such requirements.
While we may traditionally think of whistleblowing associated with fraud in the workplace, a hotline can help limit all kinds of untoward behaviors in your company. Virtually every organization is at risk of financial errors and abuse. In a digital world, privacy issues are more of a concern than ever before. OSHA violations can create an unsafe work environment and HR violations can land your company in seriously hot water. Embracing these unfortunate realities can help you preemptively temper the odds of them ever even occurring.
Simplicity and Anonymity
In 2014, the Association of Certified Fraud Inspectors found that anonymous tips were the most common kind of fraud detection. Tips were submitted at a much higher rate when an organization offered a hotline option. The reality is that people are more likely to report misconduct when they have an easy-to-use, anonymous method to do so. By choosing a reliable whistleblower hotline provider, you can ensure that your employees have a reliable, independent resource to confidentially report their concerns.
Create the healthy business culture you’ve always dreamed of with a whistleblower hotline service customized for your company. Empower your employees to speak up about what they’ve witnessed. These reports of illegal, unsafe or unethical behaviors could actually save your business someday.
MAP Communications and You
If you’re looking for a partner in transparency and ethics, give MAP Communications a call today. A leader in the call center industry for decades, MAP offers stellar whistleblower hotline services across industries. Chat with our friendly, experienced team about your options and see how far a relationship with MAP can take you. To get started, simply contact us for more information about how whistleblower hotlines can help keep your company honest.
More articles you might be interested in:
Tips to Developing an Employee Handbook
