About EthicsPoint
What is EthicsPoint?
EthicsPoint is a comprehensive and confidential reporting tool created by NAVEX to assist management and employees work together in addressing fraud, abuse, and other misconduct, all while cultivating a positive work environment.
This system is a way to strengthen the implementation of our policies. It meets the international standards on risk management and internal control, applicable to NGOs of our size financed through institutional funding and public donations.
Why do we need a system like EthicsPoint?
An effective reporting system will:
- Optimize the reporting and the case management, in complete safety and confidentiality
- Ensure a high level of compliance with the legal obligations relating to data protection in force in the European Union, the United States and Switzerland.
- Augment our other efforts to foster a culture of integrity and ethical decision-making;
Reporting – General
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 for employees to report any violation of our stated Policies and Code of Conduct, or other serious concern you may have.
The use of EthicsPoint should must meet two criteria: a suspicion of a serious incident associated with the difficulty to report to the line management;
If I see a violation, shouldn't I just report it to my manager, security, or human resources and let them deal with it?
When you observe some behavior that you believe violates our policies and code of conduct, we expect you to report it. Ideally, you should bring any concerns forward to your direct manager, or other member of our management team, if necessary at a higher level of the organization. We recognize, however, that there may be circumstances when you are not comfortable reporting the issue in this manner. It is for such circumstances that we have partnered with EthicsPoint. Using this channel, your report will reach the top management of HI, in complete confidentiality.
Why should I report what I know? What’s in it for me?
We all have the right to work in a positive environment and with that right comes the responsibility of acting in an ethical manner and letting the appropriate people know if someone is not acting appropriately. By working together, we can maintain a safe and ethical environment.
Does management really want me to report?
We certainly do. In fact, we need you to report. You may have initial knowledge of an activity that may be cause for concern. Your reporting can minimize the potential negative impact on HI, our people, partners and beneficiaries. Also, offering positive input may help identify issues that can improve internal culture and performance.
Thanks to the centralized system, the verification process is steered from the top management. In this way, the effort required to mobilise the managers is no longer the sole responsibility of the whistle blower.
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 organisation 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.
Are HI employees and members the only ones who can report problems through this system?
This system is internal to our NGO. However, the possibility of reporting suspicions or incidents may be open to the managers of official partner organisations and to other external stakeholders.
Remember! This centralized system is essential but can in no way replace the local initiatives set up at the field level to collect feedback from beneficiaries or local partners.
What commitments does the organisation make with regard to use of the system?
The organisation’s first commitment is to protect the interests of the people using the mechanism (confidentiality of the process, compliance with their contractual and professional obligations, protection against disciplinary proceedings). Safety is the top priority, particularly in sensitive contexts.
At the same time, the organisation is also committed to protecting the interests of the people suspected of improper conduct: confidentiality; sanctions if false accusations are brought or the system is abused. Once again, regardless of the outcome of the verification process, people’s safety will be the top priority.
In parallel, precautionary and protection measures are put in place for persons who have suffered damage resulting from the wrongdoings.
Reporting Security & Confidentiality
What if I want to be identified with my report?
There is a section in the report for identifying yourself. Anyway, even if you identify yourself, the process will remain confidential.
What if I want to remain anonymous?
There is a section in the report for remaining anonymous, if you wish. Please note that while this possibility is open, HI does not encourage anonymity for practical and ethical reasons.
It is my understanding that any report I send from a NGO 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 if you have decided to remain anonymous. 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.
Tips & Best Practices
I am aware of some individuals involved with unethical conduct, but it doesn't affect me. Why should I bother reporting it?
Our NGO chooses to promote ethical behavior. All unethical conduct, at any level, ultimately hurts the NGO and all members and employees, including you. You only have to consider what happened in recent corporate or NGO scandals to see the disastrous effects that a seemingly harmless lapse in ethics can have on an otherwise healthy organisation. So if you know of any incidents of misconduct or ethical violations, consider it your duty to yourself and your colleagues to report it.
I am not sure if what I have observed or heard is a violation of internal 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. In addition, each report is sent to at least two people with no hierarchical links. The teams responsible for analysing reports include both women and men.
What if I remember something important about the incident after I file the report? Or what if the NGO 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 username 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 NGO questions. You and the NGO 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 confidentiality and 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.