Hotlines

(For related information about operating a Help or Hotline, see Hotline Operations)
====I n mandatory programs, the government expects “a process, such as a hotline, to receive complaints, and the adoption of procedures to protect the anonymity of complainants and to protect whistleblowers from retaliation” (DHHS OIG, Compliance Guidance). The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has found that hotlines result in discovery of nearly three times more fraud than the next most effective means of discovery (management reviews and internal audits). But what if you have a hotline and no one calls? ====

====**One Hotline or more than one?** Many organizations have one hotline and then “triage” what comes in to appropriate areas for follow-up. Others, like this medical center, advertise multiple hotlines, attempting to divert calls based on subject matter. Similarly, this county wanted to segregate calls about suspected child and elder abuse from those about “fraud, waste and abuse”. ====

====**Phone / Website / Email ?** Even in 2012 many organizations have not yet moved to supplementing their 1-800-numbers with web portals. But those that have implemented websites often get at least as many reports through that route than the phone based “hotline”. For example, by 2009 Coca-Cola had more reports coming in through the web than via its phone line. However trained operators may elicit more information than a "caller" will type into a web report. ====

====**Who's the audience?** Employees only? Whose employees? Adidas, for example, hires NGOs in China to run hotlines aimed at employees of its suppliers. Will calls from customers or the general public be welcome as at this hospital system or this bank? If customers aren’t to use the Hotline, where else should they be directed? This group purchasing organization encourages its suppliers to use its hotline as a formal grievance mechanism. ====

====**When should people call / use it?** This may be the hardest communication challenge. Communication about the hotline is aimed at (1) creating awareness of this route for raising issues within the organization and (2) getting people to use it. The latter task requires overcoming user skepticism and fear of retaliation. Messaging ambivalence or hostility about use of the hotline in related communications, however, makes overcoming those sources of resistance less likely. For example, compare: ====
 * ===="The Hotline is to be used when other resolution channels have been ineffective or the caller wishes to remain anonymous" with ====
 * ====“Report fraud, theft, or other unethical conduct to the [Hotline]” and ====
 * ====“Be part of the solution. If you have questions, talk to someone. If you see conduct that violates our Code, report it!” ====

==== Each sends a very different “message” about the hotline. And getting this part of the "message" aligned with other aspects of the ethics and compliance effort is essential to receiving the calls the organization wants. For example, count how many times this Home Health Agency mentions its "Compliance Helpline" and for what types of matters, while describing its program. ====

====**What To Call It?** Looking at the practices of others, the answer seems to be “just about anything”. Regulators seem to favor “Hotline” with its sense of urgency. Some multinationals have found translation of that term challenging. “Helpline” emphasizes that not every call needs to be about misconduct – but most will be, at least from the caller’s perspective. Here’s a collection of names and the organizations that chose them. ====


 * ====Advice Line (Boston Scientific ) ====
 * ====AlertLine (Milliken - phone only) ====
 * ====24 Hour Anonymous Hotline (Richmond University Medical Center) ====
 * ====Audit Committee/Whistleblower Hotline (election #2) and an Ethics Helpline (Selection #1) (Potlatch) ====
 * ====Awareline (Home Depot and General Motors) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Conduct and Ethics Hotline (Thomson Reuters) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Conduct Hotline (Microsoft) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Ethics Hotline (Adobe) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Ethics Line (Accenture) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Ethics Line: BEL and Compliance Hot Line: CHL (Yokogawa) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Business Integrity Line (Marriott) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Code of Conduct Line (Kimberly Clark - page 32, phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Code of Ethics Line (Realogy Corporation - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Code Business Conduct Hotline (The Gap) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Code Reporting Hotline - 1-855-JPMCODE (JPMorgan) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Compliance / Compliance and Ethics Hotline (Kaiser "Help When You Need It" - Reportline on the web); (Columbia University Workplace Alert for web submissions); (Texas Reliability Entity); (University of Michigan) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Compliance Helpdesk (Siemens "Tell Us") ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Compliance Helpline (Almost Family) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Compliance Hotline: 1-888-323-MCHTALK (Miami Children’s Hospital) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Compliance and Ethics Helpline - (650-721-COMP liance) (Stanford) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">ComplianceLine (Hospital of Central Connecticut) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Comply Cats Hotline (University of Kentucky) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Concern Connection Line (American Red Cross) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">ConcernLINE / ConcernNET (TE Connectivity) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Concerns Helpline (CenterPoint Energy) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Confidential Compliance Hotline (Memorial Sloan Kettering) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Confidential Ethics Hotline for Suppliers (Costco) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Corporate Compliance Hotline (Unity Healthcare - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Corporate Ethics and Legal Compliance Helpline (Toray International ) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Curo Integrity Helpline ([|Curo Health]) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">eDIALOG (UTC) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Employee Relations and Integrity Hotline (Target) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Line (Boeing - phone only); (Hospital Corporation of America - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Action Line (Tenet Healthcare - phone or email to : Ethics@tenethealth.com) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Compliance Helpdesk (Premier) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Compliance Hotline (Coca-Cola) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Compliance Line (Intel - phone and email); (Alcoa - lots of numbers, reinforced with downloadable brochures) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Compliance Services Helpline (DeVry) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Compliance Webline (Starbucks - also has brochures) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics and Financial Integrity Help Line (Eaton) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Helpline (Conoco Phillips);(Lockheed Martin - phone only); ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Hot Line (The Mosaic Company) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Hotline at 1-866-4-Call-ME (Masco) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics Line (800-760-4EEC) (SAIC) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethics OpenTalk (L'Oreal) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethicsline (Motorola) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethicslink (Staples ) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">EthicsOnline (Weyerhaeuser) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">(866) ETHICSP (CMS Energy Corporation) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ethos Line (Cemex) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Fraud and Abuse Hotline (1-800-###-###) and The Privacy Hotline (1-888-####-####) (MD Anderson - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">gCom Compliance and Ethics Phone Line (Genentech) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The GuideLine (CH2M Hill) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Help & Hotline (USC phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Help Line (UPS - phone only - previously "conduct line"); (Kroger - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">HIPAA Helpline - 1-877-HI-LOSS (NYU Langone Medical Center) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In Touch (previously Qivliq, now Akima) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Integrity Action Line (Schering Plough and Loblaw) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Integrity Helpline (Johnson Controls); (Nexen)(Harvard University) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Integrity Hotline (Oregon Health Sciences University); (Maxim Healthcare Services - phone only); (Encana) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Integrity Line (T-Mobile); (UCB) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">IntegrityLine (Yahoo) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"Let Us Know" Compliance Helpdesk (Klockner & Co - web reporting only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Open and Honest (Best Buy) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Openline (Northrup Grumman) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">OpenTalk (BP) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">215-P-COMPLY (U. of Pennsylvania ) (previously 1-888-ben-tips) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Protocol Helpline (Life Technologies) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Report It ! Hotline (Regions Financial Corporation) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reporting Non-Compliance with Agency Policy and Procedures Hotline (Minnesota Housing) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Reportline (U Conn) ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Safecall (Tullow Oil) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Speak Up Hotline (PepsiCo), Speak-UP! Hotline (Avamere) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Team Member Tipline (Whole Foods - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Think Again employee helpline (Marks and Spencer - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Trust Line ("Tell us, IT Matters") (Emory - phone only) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">University / Medical Center Compliance Confidential 24 hour Hotline (Vanderbilt) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Vital Concern Center (Tyco) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">VZ Ethics and EEO GuideLine (Verizon) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Ways To Report Concerns - 4 of them (Cox Health) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1-800-WE-COMPLY (Johns Hopkins) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Whistleblower Hotlines (multiple - University of California ; just one - Coloplast) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wyntegrity Line (Wyndham) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">1-855-YRVoice (Raise YRVoice) (AARP) ====

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Government Operated Hotline Mechanisms// =
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">File a Form TCR "To Become a Whistleblower(Commodity Futures Trading Commission) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) (US Dept. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Whistleblower - Informant Awards (Internal Revenue Service - since 1867) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">OIG Hotline (US Dept. of Labor) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The Whistleblower Protection Program (OSHA) ====
 * ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Tip, Complaint or Referral Portal (Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Whistleblower) ====

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**How to advertise / promote awareness?** = ====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">A large scale, cross industry study of hotline calls reported in 2007 found posters as the most frequently mentioned awareness source by far. Posters are frequently used and, in some cases, even required by various agencies. But in your environment maybe the most effective way to advertise the hotline is via your Inter and Intranet sites or by training managers on how to have conversations about it with those who report to them. ====

====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Georgia Health Sciences University has shared the roll-out and marketing plan for its Hotline. ====

====<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Certainly to encourage callers effective communication has to be ongoing after the initial roll-out. One frequently suggested strategy is sharing "stories" of calls and how they got addressed, as this Intel supplier does. Another is including information about the hotline in new employee orientation and other trainings. ====

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">See also: @Operating a Hotline