“[Bribes] are like steroids – everyone’s doing it. And if you don’t do it, you fall behind.”  David Montero, author of Kickback: Exposing the Global Corporate Bribery Network

Corporate compliance officers put quite a busy 2018 behind them at the end of the year, getting grips on some head-spinning events ranging from the #metoo movement, to getting up to speed with GDPR compliance regulations, and creating all the policies and procedures that speak to these new concerns and regulations, and how their companies need to address them.

What's the best case closure time for your hotline reports? On average 30 days is best - from the report coming in, to it being fully closed. Many whistleblowers will raise their concerns internally first. This is because they believe that by doing so, the company will investigate their concern seriously and the whistleblower will emerge on the other end with some form of closure to their concern.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Not at the CEI event last week. Because many of the visitors who came by our booth were either in need of a whistleblower hotline, or were wanting to leave their current provider. It's a conversation that was communicated during some of the sessions, and a conversation we had with numerous visitors to our booth. Compliance programs, big or small, need a whistleblower program.

Guest Post by Rachel Johnston “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And, if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." – Warren Buffet” When working either within a company or any team-based environment, it’s always a good idea to ask if you’re being the most honest and mindful version of yourself.

First of all, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd use the word "cannabis" in one of my blog posts, let alone, the first word in the subject line. But yet, here we are. In Canada. Where consuming pot will be legal on October 17, 2018. Are your policies up to date on cannabis use on or off the workplace?