Stay Informed with Our Engaging Ethics and Compliance Blog

How does an Internal and External Hotline Differ? When a company has implemented a whistleblower helpline, or fraud intake hotline, often times it's the person on the other end of the phone number that is the only contact point for the caller. Not only does the person on the other end of the phone represent the company that has implemented the program, they also represent the the program itself. Because of the nature of subjects, or topics the call center takes care of - handling incoming complaints that can range from common theft all the way up to very serious allegations of fraud and harassment - we've decided to discuss what a successful helpline looks like and compare an outsourced third-party call center to an in-house company operated number.

Regardless of the industry, unethical behaviour and illegal activity occur in the workplace every day Unethical behaviour greatly diminishes employee morale and business integrity. From fraud to discrimination to privacy breaches, there are many areas where misconduct takes place. Unethical behaviour in the workplace has also notably been on the rise with the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked a group of business professionals about the most common ethical concerns in businesses today and this is what they said:

Companies are embracing technology to improve the workplace culture Fostering an inclusive and encouraging workplace culture is integral to maximizing the potential of your employees.

When a whistleblower's concern is accepted and validated, it builds trust A whistleblower hotline call center can receive thousands of calls a year. Many organization have hotlines in place for employees to blow the whistle on unethical workplace conduct.

Whistleblowing has become much more mainstream and accepted over the past decade. New laws that protect employees from retaliation help them step forward to report wrongdoing. There are some recent trends that shine a light on legislation and government initiatives to encourage whistleblowers to speak up.

Introducing an ethics hotline into your company? Introductions can be awkward. Introducing a new system into your company can be fraught with challenges. And blank stares... Many times employees are happy with the way things are rolling along and wonder why rock the boat? Other employees welcome new ideas.