Of all the priorities a small business company leader or Human Resources manager has, one, in particular, is becoming more important. Company culture, or the dynamics of the working environment, is a top priority in today’s hiring and retention efforts. When employees feel appreciated and valued, they become more productive and loyal to the brand. And more importantly, when they feel safe and aligned with a company that values transparency in its operations, they’ll become the company’s fiercest advocates.

While there isn’t a magic wand solution that makes all of those workplace sentiments a reality overnight, the ethics hotline can certainly play a pivotal role in company culture. Here’s how.

Ethics Hotlines Promote Company Values

Having a series of ethics policies is certainly helpful in sharing company values with staff. But when you adopt the ethics hotline, with its anonymity in reporting, you’re putting action to enforcing those policies. In a way, your employees will see the ethics hotline as the company taking action to support its values and ethical operations. And it demonstrates how much leadership values employee experiences and workplace ethics.

Ethics Hotlines Allow Employees a Channel to Voice Concerns

Another way an ethics hotline can improve company culture and employee experiences is by giving teams a voice. Oftentimes, it’s an employee who spots a violation or suspicious behavior first. And the ethics hotline deputizes everyone, making it possible for anyone to report wrongdoing confidentially. Employees will feel more connected to the company when they know they can securely report issues that may negatively affect staff or operations.

Ethics Hotlines Eliminate Retaliation

Your company’s ethics policies and procedures might include methods for reporting suspected or actual violations. And despite your best efforts to eliminate retaliation or repercussions with those policies, people may still be hesitant to call out bad behavior. When you have an ethics hotline, you provide your teams with a secure, anonymous reporting channel without the fear of retaliation.

Ethics Hotlines Prioritize Ethics

Human Resources managers know that a pillar of company culture and workplace environment enrichment involves robust ethics policies. But policies in an employee handbook are simply statements. When you prioritize ethics with the adoption of an ethics hotline, however, you send a signal to your teams that ethics matters at every level. It reminds staff that you take violations seriously and endeavor to maintain a safe, healthy, and conducive employee culture for everyone.

Ethics Hotlines Allow for Ongoing Improvement

There’s not much in today’s workplace environment that isn’t subject to change or improvement. From office layout and aesthetics to guidance about social experiences and remote working dynamics, an ethics hotline can be flexible with every aspect of your business. More importantly, it’s the ethics hotline that will provide you with an ongoing resource for improvements, as reports call out potential risks and concerns worth addressing. It’s how you can keep your employee culture centered on the employee experience.

Are you ready to elevate your company culture with an ethics hotline? Connect with Ethical Advocate to get started! Our team can help you leverage every benefit of an ethics hotline in a way that improves company culture and your bottom-line operational results.