Often, small businesses don’t think about having ethics problems. Even with only a small number of employees, you can still face issues that could ruin your business. An ethics hotline is an invaluable tool to help keep your small business growing.

All It Takes Is One Unethical Employee

All it takes is a single unethical employee to ruin your small business. A lawsuit against your business for not providing a safe environment or employee theft can take you from a hopeful small startup to nothing overnight. An ethics hotline for small businesses gives you the chance to be more proactive about issues.

Employees are able to safely and easily report any issues that occur. It could be harassment, fraud, theft or anything else. You might only have 20 employees, but one can ruin the entire work environment. Give employees a voice to help make things better.

Attract Better Employees

An ethical business attracts better employees because they know they’ll be more respected and taken care of. However, if your business gets a reputation for ignoring ethics complaints or not having any real way to report anything, you might lose out on top talent that could help take your small business to the next level.

Don’t discount the power of word-of-mouth when it comes to what potential employees think about your business. A horror story from an employee who was harassed could make it difficult to hire someone new.

Increase Employee Retention

An ethics hotline for small businesses can help increase employee retention rates. Obviously, you have to act on any reports in order for the hotline to be effective. But, when you do act and deal with unethical employees, you create a better work environment for your other employees. Knowing that the business cares for them makes employees more likely to stay. Plus, it creates a safer environment with less stress. After all, if you’re not placed in questionable situations, you’re not going to be quite as stressed, making you feel happier where you work.

Grow Your Business Easier

You’ve got enough on your plate trying to grow your small business. If you have employees stealing, committing fraud, harassing others or even selling you out to the competition, it’s going to be impossible to keep growing. Incorporating an ethics hotline for small businesses turns all your employees into eyes and ears that help catch ethics issues before they can stunt your business’s growth.

And, if unethical employees know they’re being watched and your small business won’t tolerate ethics violations, they’re less likely to do something wrong.

Improve Your Business’s Reputation

Much like employees spread the word when the business doesn’t treat them well, they’ll spread the word about how great your small business is to work for. While having an ethics hotline for small businesses does help you keep great employees, it can also increase your customers too. People like to work with ethical businesses. A better reputation helps your small business take off.

Implementing an ethics hotline isn’t difficult. Plus, the benefits make it a must-have for improving your business.