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are left unchecked . In addition to protecting your people faster , you ’ ll also reduce your risk of non-compliance fines and lawsuits , as your investigation process is probably more transparent and unbiased . Over the long term , your company will gain a reputation as a place where employees are empowered and that operates ethically , attracting new applicants and customers .
TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTING ETHICS REPORTING TOOLS
➊ PRIORITIZE ANONYMITY The whole goal of implementing a reporting hotline is to catch issues that employees do not feel comfortable bringing forward to management , supervisors or even colleagues . When it comes to harassment , bullying or witnessing issues secondhand , reporters often fear how they will be perceived and treated upon voicing their concerns . Is there a chance the issue will get worse ? Or , perhaps , if the issue involves upper-management members , will I be fired ?
By prioritizing fully anonymous reporting , these concerns are almost completely eliminated . Reporters are confident that when they bring forward the issue without their name being attached , possibilities for retaliation or unwanted confrontation are limited .
However , it is important to note that in cases where incident
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reports involve breaking laws , local law enforcement may have to be notified , and their investigations will likely disassemble any anonymity clauses to some degree .
➋ MAKE YOUR HOTLINE MULTILINGUAL In the hospitality and tourism industry , many employees speak more than one language , especially if they work for a company with properties around the globe . Your customers likely speak many different languages , as well . So why would you require whistleblower reports to be made in just one language ?
If an employee or customer opens a whistleblowing form or calls a number only to be met with a language they don ’ t speak well or at all , they ’ re likely to abandon their report , which puts them and your company at risk . Offering service in multiple languages , however , shows that you want to give every employee and customer a voice .
Still not sure if you should offer a multilingual whistleblowing platform ? Consider these three scenarios :
1- You operate a property in a bilingual country ( e . g ., Canada , India , Belgium ). Because these countries have multiple official languages , you might be required by law to allow your employees to work or serve customers in more than one language .
2- You operate in multiple countries . Waiting for a translator to interpret a report could mean the difference
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between a minor issue and a widespread , damaging incident .
3- Your employees work in one language but prefer to speak another . Just because an employee speaks a language for their job doesn ’ t mean that they have the skills to articulate an issue in that language , especially if they ’ re in distress after an incident like harassment or discrimination .
➌ SURVEY EMPLOYEES ABOUT YOUR HOTLINE Having a hotline and / or other reporting mechanisms in place for employees and customers is widely accepted as best practice in the hospitality industry . As mentioned above , it ’ s one of the most important aspects of a speak-up culture .
But do your employees and customers know about your hotline ? Do they know how to use it and what they should report ? A reporting hotline use survey can tell you if your communications about your hotline are landing .
If you ’ re unsure what topics to cover in your survey questions , start with what to report , knowledge of the hotline , and preferred reporting method . Use these sample questions as a template :
• Do you know that [ company name ] has an ethics / fraud / employee relations / customer concerns hotline available for anonymous reporting / questions ?
• Have you witnessed any behavior at a [ company name ] property that may be something worth reporting ? If so , what was
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it ? [ Add a free text area below for elaboration .]
• Which of these behaviors do you think should be reported on our company ’ s hotline ? Check all that apply . [ Include issues including harassment , violence , corruption , theft , and safety issues .]
• Have you ever wanted to report something but felt uncomfortable or intimidated to do so ?
• Have you ever reported on anything and not received any feedback or response from [ company name ]?
• If you have reported in the past , what mechanism did you use ? Which mechanism would you prefer to use if you reported something today ? [ Applicable only if you have more than one reporting mechanism .]
For best results , send out separate surveys to employees and customers . You ’ ll likely get different types of reports from each group , and they also receive different communications surrounding your culture and hotline availability .
As the name suggests , a speakup culture values openness . If employees or customers witness an incident , have a concern about an organizational policy , or simply have a question , they can bring it up to anyone within the organization . In return , the company addresses all reports and maintains a zero-tolerance approach to retaliation against reporters . When reporters can speak up freely and workplace safety is prioritized in this way , hospitality organizations are able to flourish .
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September 2024 hotelsmag . com 57 |