Use Cases of a Whistleblowing Solution

There are many use cases for a whistleblowing solution — both for the company involved and their employees. And Qualee's platform contains plenty of features that create a supportive environment for potential whistleblowers as well as manage whistleblowing reports.

‍Whistleblowing & Regulation

‍Businesses do not just deal with corruption internally — most companies are subject to an entire host of anti-corruption regulations. And as the level of regulation on these issues increases, businesses deal with more stringent legislation on internal misconduct reporting and whistleblowing. ‍

In the European Union, there's the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive---also known as EU Whistleblower Directive--- and the UK has its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations. Likewise, companies subject to United States laws must be compliant with:

• The Whistleblower Protection Reform Act of 2019 (WPRA)
• The Whistleblower Programs Improvement Act (WPIA)
• The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 301

‍Staying in compliance with all of these requires constant diligence and effective dealing with whistleblowing incidents — all of which Qualee can help you with.

By increasing the level of your employee experience with Qualee, you will be able to encourage whistleblowers to report corruption internally before resorting to external reports. Having a case management program, employee feedback management platform, whistleblowing software, or a trusted whistleblowing system in place can also help your company in achieving a quick resolution. ‍

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Ethics & Compliance ‍

While plenty of companies judge their organization's ethical health based on how many calls their ethics hotline gets — this often leads to a misrepresentation of the actual state of affairs. According to the 2019 Global Business Ethics Survey [1], only 6% of employees who report corruption, misconduct or violations use ethics hotlines. ‍

More modern whistleblower software like Qualee allows companies to reveal more misconduct by encouraging more internal reports, both in the private and public sectors. Our whistleblowing platform sets the groundwork for a robust and ethical workplace that does not tolerate corruption and supports the people willing to speak up and those engaging in anonymous reporting. ‍

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Expose Fraud ‍

When it comes to fraud in general, occupational fraud is the most often-occurring kind. However, it is also the most difficult and costliest to detect and deal with.

The 2018 Report to the Nations found some staggering numbers on occupational fraud and abuse. The trend analysis shows that the average organization suffers losses amounting to 5% of its total annual revenue due to internal fraudulent activities and unethical behavior, which go on undiscovered for an average of 16 months. ‍

A leading whistleblower system offers a secure channel through which employees can confidently speak up and report breaches in name. A comprehensive whistleblowing platform should be allowed to gather anonymous feedback.

The proper whistleblowing solutions allow investigators of misconduct and government agencies to converse and secure data from a whistleblower while staying completely anonymous. Ultimately, fostering a speak-up culture shows employees that there is no retaliation for providing helpful information. ‍

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Reduce Bribery & Corruption ‍

In practice, a vast majority of corruption and bribery incidents go unreported. In fact, a 2017 EU report on corruption [2] showed that more than 80% of employees don't report their experiences with corruption to anyone. ‍

Having a secure whistleblowing platform eliminates any disincentives to report corruption by clearly showing the consequences for perpetrators while also protecting reporters. ‍

In this process, it's essential to maintain a clear line of communication between the staff — fewer than 50% of employees in any company actually know to whom they should raise their concerns. Luckily, solutions like Qualee help organizations create a robust internal system for actionable intake reports and case management software that effectively demonstrates a zero-tolerance policy for corruption. ‍

Address Bullying ‍

Bullying is one of the most common types of misconduct employees deal with in any workplace, whether in-person or online. More than 70% of all workers are bullied throughout their careers — and Qualee can help you avoid your employees counting among them. ‍

Setting up an anonymous web form and an effective report routing to the relevant stakeholders eliminates conflicts of interest, and even communication with anonymous whistleblowers remains effective throughout the investigation thanks to our platform. ‍

Reduce Harassment ‍

Harassment claims are a huge part of overall misconduct charges — representing a profoundly ethical issue and potentially significant losses for the company. Legal settlements can reach millions of dollars — and reputational damage can't even be quantified. ‍

A safe, harassment-free whistleblowing environment creates a confidential space where employees can quickly speak up without fearing retaliation.

Qualee's online whistleblowing tool has features to ensure people are more likely to raise their voices against harassment and prevent personal trauma and damage to the company. ‍

Eliminate Discrimination ‍

Discrimination has been a tremendous legal, compliance, and HR challenge for a long time. And movements like Black Lives Matter have particularly highlighted racial discrimination as a priority issue. ‍

Systemic discrimination is, unfortunately, something many people have to deal with in the modern workplace. For example, a study on the “black experience” in America [3] has revealed that almost 60% of African American professionals deal with racial prejudice in the workplace. Plus, talent progression biases prevent the majority of them from reaching executive positions. ‍

You can use Qualee to address any bias in the workforce, expose systemic discrimination, and create a confidential space for whistleblowers. ‍

Ensure Personal Safety ‍

The pandemic has forced companies to rethink physical health and psychological safety in the workplace. In addition, as a result of mandates on workplace harassment prevention (EHRC) in the UK, OSHA requirements on coronavirus infection reporting across the United States, and similar regulations — companies are more pressured to create more effective internal reporting channels. ‍

Build an ethical and compliant company culture with Qualee. Via the Qualee app, available on iOS and Android, companies will get easy access to a trusted channel where employees can report incidents without worrying about their wellbeing and safety. Our case management platform and anonymous whistleblowing system also allow stakeholders to react immediately to a new report for maximum effectiveness.

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[1] https://www.ethics.org/wp-content/uploads/Global-Business-Ethics-Survey-2019-Third-Report.pdf

[2] https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2176

[3] https://coqual.org/reports/being-black-in-corporate-america-an-intersectional-exploration/