Why Employees Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Use An Ethics Hotline

Some HR Managers refer to these as compliance hotlines and others refer to them as ethics hotlines. Either way, hotlines like these do exist and are gaining popularity, especially with the unemployment rate being so low. These types of hotlines are mainly implemented so that employees can report issues of a sensitive nature, anonymously and without fear of retaliation.

What Is An Ethics/Compliance Hotline?

The best way to define an ethics and/or compliance hotline is as an anonymous reporting mechanism that is created so that employees or concerned individuals can report potential legal, unethical or improper conduct in the workplace. When the normal channels of communication are ineffective or impractical under the given circumstances, this is an effective solution.

These types of hotlines can be available to employees and others who are in a business relationship your company. Typical concerns include:

Crimes such as fraud and theft
Employee misconduct such as bullying or harassment
Safety and health violations
Mismanagement and favoritism

There are a lot of reasons one can use a confidential ethics or compliance hotline. In most cases, these hotlines are designed to gather information from individuals who know that something is off and want to bring it to the attention of a manager for further review and investigation.

Whether a coworker is harassing another or the accounting doesn’t match up to the bank statements, there are just too many sensitive issues that can take place, especially in organizations that employ a large workforce.

This is the perfect channel for employees or other individuals to turn to — especially if they can’t differentiate between potential misconduct or an issue that doesn’t necessarily require reporting.

How Does A Third-Party, Ethics Reporting Hotline Work?

If an employee feels as though there is questionable behavior occurring in the workplace, an ethics reporting hotline can definitely assist them with coming forward with confidence and anonymity.

A third-party ethics reporting hotline, such as the kind Employee Hotlines offers, is designed to assist managers or groups of managers, so they can follow up on issues that they may not have been aware of. This will enable them to respond quickly, investigate and properly review — potentially resolving and reducing risk for the entire company.

Here are the types of calls we receive as an award-winning employee hotline and reporting service:

Conflict of Interest: If there is a conflict between an employee’s private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust, the ethics hotline can definitely be used for reporting.
Fraud/Embezzlement: Need, opportunity and motive sets the stage for fraud and embezzlement — particularly internally. For example, there are individuals who willfully withhold assets for the purpose of using them for personal gain.
Workplace Health and Safety: If someone discovers something that is a major concern regarding workplace health, safety and welfare, then this type of hotline is definitely one that should be implemented. This is of particular value for food processing plants, manufacturers and agriculture facilities.
Privacy: Personal information that is disclosed against a person or company that is not public concern or interest should also be reported.

An Ethics Hotline Is There For A Reason

At the end of the day, by having an ethics or compliance hotline for employees to use is a great way enhance morale. It offers a sense of community that is committed to honesty. There is also a channel that employees can depend on, fully anonymous and direct.

If you are ready to reduce corporate risk while enhancing company morale — it’s time to discover Employee Hotlines and the benefits we provide.