Stay Informed with Our Engaging Ethics and Compliance Blog

Whistleblower laws in the U.S. play a critical role in protecting employees who speak out against unethical or illegal activities in their workplace. These laws ensure that employees can report misconduct without fear of retaliation, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency. In recent years, the importance of whistleblower protections has gained significant attention as more employees have come forward to expose fraud, corruption, and violations that jeopardize workplace integrity.

Actionable solutions to help businesses create a safer, more transparent environment Whistleblower protection is a critical component of maintaining ethical practices and ensuring transparency within organizations. In California, the importance of safeguarding whistleblowers cannot be overstated, as it plays a vital role in promoting accountability and upholding the law. With some of the most comprehensive whistleblower protection laws in the United States, California strives to create a secure environment for individuals to report misconduct without fear of retaliation. Despite these protections, significant challenges persist for both employees and employers.

In the modern business landscape, maintaining an ethical workplace is not just a best practice but a necessity for safeguarding a company's integrity, assets, and the overall well-being of its employees. One of the most effective tools in achieving this goal is implementing a whistleblower hotline. Global ethics hotlines play a critical role in promoting a culture of transparency and accountability within the workplace. Choosing a vendor to provide your ethics hotline shouldn’t be a tedious task. You may have questions about how a third-party hotline works. This post will guide you towards choosing a hotline vendor to ensure you build a more ethical and responsible work environment. We'll cover key points that can help you make an informed decision when choosing a hotline provider that aligns with your values and objectives.

How civil is your workplace? In March 2024, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conducted a survey of just over 1600 employees in the US to understand how often they witness or experience incivility in the workplace. One shocking statistic that came out of the survey is that these employees were witness to, or experienced two thousand acts of incivility in their lives every second. In fact, 66% of these surveyed employees believe that incivility in the workplace reduces productivity. So why is there so much incivility in the workplace?

SB 553 Workplace Violence Prevention California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 553 into law on September 30, 2023. This new law requires nearly all California employers to establish protocols for handling and resolving incidents of workplace violence - bringing with it some very specific requirements. The law takes effect July 1, 2024, and does not include a grace period for implementation.

Trust and support should not be a limited workplace commodity Many employees feel that trust and support given out by leadership is hard to come by. In their organization there is a convinced view that many of the decisions that are made are unjust. This sentiment of workplace injustice can breed employee dissatisfaction and disempowerment, hindering collaboration and productivity. When employees believe that trust and support in the workplace is genuinely provided, this crucial aspect of a workplace culture will help form the bedrock of a positive workplace environment that encourages productivity, collaboration, and overall well-being. When employees feel trusted and supported by colleagues and leadership, they are more likely to be better engaged in their job duties, and they will feel encouraged to contribute new and creative ideas.