What is EthicsPoint?
EthicsPoint is a comprehensive and confidential reporting tool created by NAVEX Global to assist management and employees work together in addressing fraud, abuse, and other misconduct in the workplace.
May I report using either the Internet or the telephone?
Yes. With EthicsPoint, you have the ability to file a confidential, anonymous report via either the telephone or the Internet.
What type of situations should I report?
The EthicsPoint system is designed to facilitate the reporting of concerns about improprieties relating to Swire Properties Limited and its subsidiaries. Examples of improprieties include but are not limited to the following:
Where do these reports go? Who can access them?
Reports are entered directly on the EthicsPoint secure server to prevent any possible breach in security. EthicsPoint makes these reports available only to specific individuals within the company who are charged with evaluating the report, based on the type of violation and location of the incident. Each of these report recipients has had training in keeping these reports in the utmost confidence.
It is my understanding that any report I send from a company computer generates a server log that shows every web-site that my PC connects with, and won’t this log identify me as a report originator?
EthicsPoint does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses, so no information linking your PC to EthicsPoint is available. In fact, EthicsPoint is contractually committed not to pursue a reporter’s identity. If you feel uncomfortable making a report on your work PC, you have the option of using a PC outside our work environment (such as one located at an Internet café, at a friend’s house, etc.) through the EthicsPoint secure website. Many people choose this option, as EthicsPoint’s data shows that fewer than 12% of reports are generated during business hours.
Can I file a report from home and still remain anonymous?
A report from home, a neighbor’s computer, or any Internet portal will remain secure and anonymous. An Internet portal never identifies a visitor by screen name and the EthicsPoint system strips away Internet addresses so that anonymity is totally maintained. Plus, EthicsPoint is contractually committed not to pursue a reporter’s identity.
I am concerned that the information I provide EthicsPoint will ultimately reveal my identity. How can you assure me that will not happen?
The EthicsPoint system is designed to protect your anonymity. However, if you wish to remain anonymous, you - as a reporting party - need to ensure that the body of the report does not reveal your identity by accident. For example, “From my cube next to Jan Smith…” or “In my 33 years…”.
Is the telephone toll-free hot line confidential and anonymous too?
Yes. You will be asked to provide the same information that you would provide in an Internet based report and an interviewer will type your responses into the EthicsPoint Web site. These reports have the same security and confidentiality measures applied to them during delivery.
What if I want to be identified with my report?
There is a section in the report for identifying yourself, if you wish.
I am not sure if what I have observed or heard is a violation of company policy, or involves unethical conduct, but it just does not look right to me. What should I do?
File a report. EthicsPoint can help you prepare and file your report so it can be properly understood. We'd rather you report a situation that turns out to be harmless than let possible unethical behavior go unchecked because you weren't sure.
What if my boss or other managers are involved in a violation? Won’t they get the report and start a cover-up?
The EthicsPoint system and report distribution are designed so that implicated parties are not notified or granted access to reports in which they have been named.
What if I remember something important about the incident after I file the report? Or what if the company has further questions for me concerning my report?
When you file a report at the EthicsPoint Web site or through the EthicsPoint Call Center, you receive a unique user name and are asked to choose a password. You can return to the EthicsPoint system again either by Internet or telephone and access the original report to add more detail or answer questions posed by a company representative and add further information that will help resolve open issues. We strongly suggest that you return to the site in the time specified to answer company questions. You and the company now have entered into an “anonymous dialogue,” where situations are not only identified, but can also be resolved, no matter how complex.
Are these follow-ups on reports as secure as the first one?
All EthicsPoint correspondences are held in the same strict confidence as the initial report, continuing under the umbrella of anonymity.
Can I still file a report if I don’t have access to the Internet?
You can file an EthicsPoint report from any computer that can access the Internet. You can file from home. Many public locations, including the public library, have Internet computers. If you don’t have access to or are uncomfortable using a computer, you can call the EthicsPoint toll free hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.