Build trust with a whistleblowing system
WhistleB’s 2019 Customer Survey featured on ACFE Insights
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners published an article about WhistleB’s 2019 annual survey on organizational whistleblowing on its website ACFE Insights. Every year in the survey, we ask our customers about how they use their whistleblowing system and the outcomes and benefits that arise from having a secure, digital whistleblowing system in place. One of the overwhelming findings of our survey this year was that companies say they can build trust with a whistleblowing system.
These were some of the key findings from the 2019 survey:
- An increased number of whistleblowing reports are being received.
- Almost a third of all cases related to fraud, economic crime or money laundering.
- 50% of companies said that they build trust with their whistleblowing system.
How did companies respond that they build trust with a whistleblowing system? A secure whistleblowing system helps customers build trust in the brand, gain trust from external parties due to greater transparency, and importantly generate trust amongst employees that they work for an organisation that is serious about its Code of Conduct.
How can companies build trust in the whistleblowing system?
Organisations choose to implement a whistleblowing system to access sensitive, hard-to-reach information on misconduct such as fraud, corruption and bribery earlier. However, before reporting such information, a potential whistleblower needs to trust the system. In effect, a circle of trust needs to be formed. Customers need to build trust in the system first before they can build trust with the whistleblowing system. This is why we also ask our customers what they see as the most important factors for building that trust.
The top responses this year were:
- Ensuring the right team and a thorough process are in place for handling reports.
- Having a secure system that enables anonymity for the whistleblower.
- Sharing communication about the purpose of the system.
If you would like to find how your organisation can build trust with a whistleblowing system contact:
Karin Henriksson, Founder and Partner at WhistleB, Whistleblowing Centre
+46 70 444 32 16, karin.henriksson@whistleb.com
