The value of whistleblowing systems in corporate investigations and forensics

The cost of non-compliance, in both financial and reputational terms, is now so high that many organisations are turning to external law firms to help manage compliance and ethics risk. In particular, companies are increasingly looking for support and advice around screening, managing and investigating cases that come to light through their whistleblowing systems. And it’s easy to see why.

Many law firms have an investigations capability with deep knowledge and experience of international regulation and legislation. They help their clients navigate the complexities of dealing with reports or evidence of wrongdoing in a range of risk areas and can play a major role in reducing the impact of such cases on their clients.

This gives organisations the reassurance and support they need and plays fully to the strengths of the law firms concerned. However, companies and their external legal advisors can only act on the reports that are actually submitted to their whistleblowing systems so, to some extent, the peace of mind and support legal advisors can give their clients is only as good as the solution that drives the reporting of misconduct in the first place. If the genuine concerns of employees are not being surfaced, either because the technology deployed to support whistleblowing or the ethical culture of the organisations do not support or actively discourage reporting, then the exposure to the risk of an ethical breach remains high.

For any whistle blowing solution to be truly effective it needs three key components:

At Waypoint GRC, we help law firms to provide their clients with holistic whistleblowing solutions that:
  1. Build the right foundation for an effective whistleblowing system by deploying modern, secure technology that facilitates rather than hinders reporting. We partner with leading whistleblowing solution provider, Got Ethics to deliver fast, cost-effective and easy to implement solutions that deploy the latest in mobile technology to ensure that all employees can report their concerns quickly, easily and in their own language.

  2. Drive adoption and use of the system by addressing cultural issues such as fear of retaliation or concerns about confidentiality. We help our clients to understand and adapt the ethical culture of their organisations using assessment, communication and awareness tools to increase employee engagement drive appropriate workplace behaviours.

  3. Engage the right resources and skills to ensure effective screening, management and investigation of cases. Of course, whistleblowing systems can be managed entirely in-house but we strongly advise our clients to get the right help and support from legal advisers to manage and mitigate their compliance risk.

If you provide case screening, management and investigation services to your clients and would be interested in offering them a holistic solution including market-leading technology and practical, effective consulting services contact info@waypointgrc.com.

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