Messages may also be read and tampered with by unauthorised parties as they pass between hands. E-mails cannot be fully encrypted so data is insecure, placing the organisation at risk of non-compliance with legal requirements. While they are simple and inexpensive to set up, they come with significant risks. Whistleblower e-mail address and inbox is another form of whistleblowing hotline that some organisations opt for. Clearly, there is no anonymity in this kind of whistleblowing, requiring a huge amount of trust between the parties concerned, a clear disadvantage compared with other whistleblowing hotlines. While the whistleblower receives immediate feedback, there is no automatic data protection and no efficient case follow-up.
It is a way for a manager or other superior to show the whistleblower that their concerns are being taken seriously, and that the information should be reported to those who have the responsibility and skills for dealing with whistleblowing cases. However, in countries where Internet access is not widespread, or for employee groups that are not used to writing, phone-based whistleblowing hotlines are a good option.įace-to-face whistleblowing is an “open door” option rather than a traditional whistleblowing hotline. Since they do not allow a range of devices to be used, they are also less user-friendly. Phone-based whistleblowing hotlines are less cost-efficient because they do not allow integrated case follow-up, meaning that information will have to be manually logged. While, like digital channels, they can be made available 24/7/365 and allow some amount of anonymity, they are less secure as the information cannot be encrypted all the way from the whistleblower to the receiver of the message. Phone-based whistleblowing hotlines allow people to blow the whistle by making a regular phone call to the appointed whistleblowing champion. Finally, whistleblower case management and user activity can be logged as an automatic functionality within digital whistleblowing hotlines. Compliance can be a built-in part of the whistleblowing hotline software, making the burden of compliance somewhat lighter for the organisation.
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Online whistleblowing hotlines also keep all data in one place, and most importantly, secure, in full compliance with GDPR and other applicable laws. They also allow a whistleblower to attach files, both text and images, as potential evidential material. Their main advantage is that they very easily allow whistleblower anonymity, a key factor for encouraging people to report suspicions without the fear of repercussion. What kinds of whistleblowing hotlines exist?ĭigital whistleblowing hotlines are channels that allow people to blow the whistle online, through a web-based whistleblowing hotline service.
This is why the term whistleblowing hotline is still used today, even though it is just as likely to describe a digital solution and a broader whistleblowing system.
At that time the regular platform was phone and voice. Whistleblowing hotlines also perform a preventive role as their mere existence can make people think twice about committing acts of fraud, corruption, harassment and other improper practices. Whistleblowing hotlines were placed firmly in the spotlight in 2002, when the Sarbanes-Oxley Act required all listed American companies to have a channel and a process in place for whistleblowing. It is an important tool for reducing risks and building trust as it enables managers to detect and act on possible misconduct at an early stage. A whistleblowing hotline is a channel that allows employees and others to confidentially alert an organisation about suspicions of misconduct.
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