Takeaways from ComplianceLine’s 2020 Hotline Benchmark Report
We’ve discussed the importance of employee engagement, systematic follow-up, hotline channel usage, issue severity, and organizational culture as a whole.
As compliance professionals, we are always aiming to close cases faster, but this is really just a byproduct of doing a number of other things well.
Here are some of the key takeaways from ComplianceLine’s 2020 benchmark report and why they should help organizations navigate the ethics landscape over the next decade.
Starting a Conversation
One of the biggest virtues of compliance training is the ability to give your employees a space where they can start having conversations.
Get your employees communicating in a safe environment with other people at the organization as well as with the compliance team. This ability to communicate goes beyond the office itself.
Your #1 clients are your employees. They will be the ones who sing your praises and help you expand as an organization. Driving more reports gives them a sense of empowerment which will reflect well on any organization moving forward.
Glassdoor Reviews
It’s not just job applicants who judge organizations by their Glassdoor reviews, prospective clients will too.
Clients want to work with organizations that have positive feedback from current and past employees, as this is a huge trust signal. If employees seem happy with things, vendors and clients are likely to be happy with the relationship.
Roundtable Discussions
Getting your team members together to discuss ideas for improvement is a great way to boost the long-term vitality of your organization.
It’s a great conversation starter that can morph into a regular meeting or planned event.
Expanding the Hotline
Your hotline doesn’t have to be reserved for specific types of violations. In fact, there should be segmentation based on the type of issue and the sensitivity involved.
Discuss the possibility of adding a diversity and inclusion line, or a line committed to harassment. There’s really no limitation to the lines you can add. Gain feedback from your team as to what lines they’d like to see added.
Value Compliance Now to Future Proof Your Organization
ComplianceLine has worked with hundreds of organizations and instituted compliance programs for millions of employees. Along the way, there’s been a common theme. Leadership doesn’t value compliance until they’re shown what it can do.
The longer an organization is around, the more likely it has constructed proverbial walls around change. It’s okay, this is normal.
It’s our job as compliance professionals to step in and offer new ideas that can better serve employees and the organization at large.
Compliance and HR professionals are still underutilized. Organizations that choose to operate without ethics guidance tend to be more in the dark about employee favorability, and they can experience legal turmoil long-term if serious issues aren’t addressed.
Satisfied employees who are proud of their organization tend to do better. This ultimately benefits the company’s bottom line.
ComplianceLine is simply trying to further the idea of ethics as a driving force inside organizations, and we’re doing this one workplace at a time.
