OPINION: The Value Of Hotlines In Helping Staff ‘speak Up' About Wrongdoing - Whistleblowing - UK

Gunnar Larson g at xny.io
Tue May 30 15:03:18 PDT 2023


Critical value of hotlines in helping staff 'speak up' about wrongdoing
.By Joanna Lewis, MD of Safecall

Whistleblowing hotlines and multi-channel approaches are crucial to the
successful implementation of an organisation's whistleblowing policy.

As a specialist in whistleblowing, I have seen the positive impact that
embracing a speak-up environment can have on an organisation's culture and
reputation, and one of the key aspects of a successful whistleblowing
process is offering true channel choice.

The EU Whistleblowing Directive states that reporters must have access to a
range of reporting channels, both verbal and written. The Directive
mandates these reporting channels be handled by an 'impartial and
competent' 1party.

In this article, I will be highlighting why provision of a whistleblowing
hotline is important for regulatory compliance and accessibility, but also
necessary to receive higher quality and substantiated reports.

The importance of choice
There are numerous whistleblowing providers globally, and they broadly fall
into two categories:

Those who provide a hotline.
Those that don't.
Some providers who don't offer a whistleblower hotline claim this reporting
method is no longer required as we move towards an increasingly online
world.

But this only tells half of the story.

At Safecall, we passionately believe that a hotline is still an essential
aspect of a successful whistleblowing process.

Here's why.

Offering true choice of channel, particularly through a specialist external
provider to ensure competence and impartiality, is the most effective way
to allow your employees to make a report in the way which is best suited to
them.

We offer both a best-in-class online reporting system, which sees regular
investment and optimisation, alongside our whistleblowing hotline -
providing online channels need not come at the cost of a top-of-the-line
telephone reporting avenue.

It is not particularly costly to include a phone hotline as part of your
whistleblowing service. But the reputational and financial cost of a
disclosure not being made, either because the reporter is not able to or is
uncomfortable doing so via the available avenues, could be significant.

Accessibility
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is a key business topic at the
moment, and it is important to remember that many organisations will have
people within their employee base or wider supply chain who may struggle
with literacy. For these individuals, their only way of speaking to an
organisation may be by voice.

Furthermore, 37% of the world's population have never used the internet.2

If the focus of your whistleblowing avenues is both written and online
based, you may be excluding a whole demographic from making valuable
reports.

The value of conversation
Some competitors argue that voicemail is a suitable substitution for a
hotline service. At Safecall, we disagree.

'Verbal' reports should not be catered for at a minimum level for
regulatory reasons. They should be valued and encouraged due to the quality
of the reports they produce when made through a hotline.

Statistics support the importance of a hotline to a successful
whistleblowing process.

Our recent Benchmarking Report shows that people feel more comfortable
being named when they have spoken to a call handler.

In fact, hotline reports are 55% more likely to be named than their online
counterparts. Named reports enable a more thorough investigation and a
greater likelihood of a positive experience/outcome for both reporter and
organisation. Not only that, but hotline reports are 11% more likely to be
substantiated than web reports.3

Notably, you are 50% more likely to get a report of bullying, harassment,
victimisation or racism via a hotline call than via our web portal. That's
because whistleblowers are more likely to discuss emotional issues via a
hotline service. This is because there is value in a conversation.

Crucially, Safecall's hotline is gold standard. We do not operate out of a
scripted call centre. Our call handlers each have at least 25 years'
experience at handling difficult conversations and sensitive subject
matters. We facilitate empathetic and investigative conversations. This is
invaluable when talking to a reporter who may be sharing an emotional
disclosure. A disclosure which may be critically important for a business
to know of for the wellbeing of their employees and business.

A de-personalised voicemail system simply cannot compare to this service.

Competence and impartiality
Our hotline also guarantees anonymity where necessary. Although there is
value in named reports, it is imperative that reporters can make a
disclosure with complete anonymity.

Utilising our specialist, dedicated reporting systems will increase
employee confidence in your whistleblowing system. Knowing they can make a
report via the telephone to a party that is experienced, entirely impartial
and who will maintain their anonymity will encourage reports to be made.

This cannot be guaranteed if your verbal means of report are exclusively
internal.

Having these concerns received and processed by experts is the best way to
remain compliant and offer true anonymity.

We're not alone in thinking so...
At Safecall, we witness the efficacy and importance of whistleblowing
hotlines first-hand.

We receive regular feedback from our clients praising our reporting system,
the most significant of which is directed towards our hotline:

"Safecall has the best call handlers, as they all have investigative
experience" 4
"Highly experienced call handlers with good decision-making skills and
confidentiality are their top priority."
"The telephone handlers obtain key information from the whistleblowers."
Prospective clients also understand the value of the hotline we offer, and
it is often a key factor in their decision to choose us as their provider.

Beyond this, we are now beginning the process of partnering with
competitors.

Why would competitors want to do this?

Because they are realising that their lack of hotline provision is hurting
their ability to close certain prospects. Despite the increased utilisation
of online reporting systems, there is still a huge cultural appetite for a
strong hotline offering.

A summary
What are you trying to achieve with your whistleblowing system? Are you
trying to comply on a base level with legislation and regulatory bodies?

Or would you like to take steps towards establishing a culture of
transparency and accountability, where employees have a wholly accessible
and effective reporting system?

Speaking up is a difficult thing to do, and the medium that individuals use
to report their concerns is crucial.

While some people may prefer to fill out an online form and take the time
to gather their thoughts, others may want to speak to someone directly.
After all, 'a problem shared is a problem halved,' and some people may not
feel that they have truly expressed their concerns through an online form.

At Safecall, we are passionate about enabling organisations to protect
their reputation and improve their culture by supporting whistleblowers who
want to make a career-changing call.

Ensuring they feel enabled and good about doing so is one of the most
important decisions an organisation can make. Choosing the right partner to
support you in that is paramount, and we believe that our hotline is an
essential aspect of a successful whistleblowing process.

We know why certain providers are trying to downplay the importance of
hotlines. It's not easy to run a market-leading hotline. It takes resources
to source experienced, well trained report handlers. It is a high effort
operation. But one which we wholeheartedly believe in and view as central
to our whistleblowing offerings.

Footnotes

1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019L1937

2.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/30/more-than-a-third-of-worlds-population-has-never-used-the-internet-says-un#:~:text=Nearly%203%20billion%20people%20%E2%80%93%20or,19%20pandemic%20driving%20people%20online
.

3.
https://www.safecall.co.uk/en/latest-news/2023/march/whistleblowing-benchmark-report-2023/

4. https://www.g2.com/products/safecall/reviews


https://www.mondaq.com/uk/whistleblowing/1320414/opinion-the-value-of-hotlines-in-helping-staff-speak-up-about-wrongdoing
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