Berry Gardens provides a comprehensive, multi-lingual whistleblowing solution using NAVEX Ethics Point®

About this Case Study

Berry Gardens chose NAVEX’s EthicsPoint solution because of its confidentiality, multi-lingual capabilities, the speed and quality of translations and the ability to provide 24/7 support, 364 days a year.

1. Industry:

   Wholesale FMCG Trade

2. Number of employees:

   250+

3. Challenge:

   Established reporting channels had the potential to feel uncomfortable and lacked confidentiality.

4. Solution:

   New intake methods ensure identity protection and ease of access, guaranteeing the highest level of reporting.

Read the Case Study

The Background

Berry Gardens has a long history of advocating ethical practices, with core values of openness, honesty, and fair dealing with growers, suppliers, staff, and customers. During a risk and compliance audit conducted by BOC, the business was asked about the concerns that employees were raising and how they were being reported.

At the time, concerns were typically raised through traditional avenues – either by highlighting issues with line managers or HR representatives or by providing feedback via suggestion boxes. However, both channels had drawbacks – some employees didn’t feel comfortable reporting face-to-face, while suggestion boxes couldn’t guarantee the security and confidentiality of reports.

The senior leadership team consistently looks for ways the organization can improve current processes and culture, so this was an opportunity to focus on enabling and encouraging confidential reporting to help the business maintain and improve its high ethical standards.

Choosing NAVEX

Through conversations with employees, partners, and customers, Berry Gardens decided implementing a confidential, multi-channel reporting system would be the best way to enable employees to speak up about sensitive matters in confidence.

NAVEX’s EthicsPoint Incident Management solution was recommended as a comprehensive and cost-effective option to support the organization’s multi-lingual workforce and provide the reporting capabilities needed to satisfy stakeholders.

For employees, being able to speak directly to an empathetic and supportive person in their preferred language makes them feel more comfortable about reporting concerns. For the business, this personal approach results in closer engagement, making it easier to clarify the details of reports early on and gain a deeper understanding of issues being raised.

The Importance of Training & Awareness

Having an incident management solution in place is one thing, but Berry Gardens understands it does no good if employees don’t know when, how, or why they should make a report.

The organization provides induction and annual refresher training on whistleblowing to ensure employees understand how to make a report and what to expect when they do; what incidents or concerns they should report; why making a report is important; and how it can impact the organization if issues go unreported.

Regular reminders are also key, so Berry Gardens ensures there are visual cues placed around the workplace, using posters and on-screen displays. These approaches are so successful in reinforcing a “speak-up” culture, the company is now deploying a series of videos to create more informative and engaging awareness material.

Crucially, the senior leadership team continues to communicate directly with employees about the program and make regular requests for people to report any suspected issues. This proactive executive support helps to embed the company’s ethical values into the corporate culture

A Comprehensive Solution

Since implementing the EthicsPoint solution, whistleblowing policy and reporting have become the focal point for providing reassurance to stakeholders due to the high levels of engagement with the program.

Employees appreciate the program and are happy to see the expression of support from leadership, boosting their confidence in the business. Team and department managers at all levels also applaud the implementation for the positive impact it has on workplace culture.

HR grievances can also be reported through the system. By integrating incident reporting with HR processes, not only can Berry Gardens’ employees be confident issues are being monitored and dealt with accordingly, the business also has a greater understanding of why people are engaging with the program.

The comprehensive case management software means everything is easily managed in one place, kept secure through password protection, and role-based access controls. Monthly reports enable senior leadership and site management to keep up to date with progress and any areas of current concern, helping them to predict and mitigate future risks.

About Berry Gardens

Berry Gardens is a co-operative of British berry growers and the UK’s largest supplier of the nation’s berries and cherries with a turnover of £316.7m in 2020. Founded 50 years ago, initially supplying British fruit during the core summer months, Berry Gardens have grown into a dynamic business supplying most retailers, food service and wholesalers with award winning fruit. Berry Gardens supplies all of Britain’s leading retailers from a state-of-the-art 150,000 sq. ft. fruit packing and storage facility based in Kent

Wholly owned by UK growers, Berry Gardens is a co-operative of innovative and entrepreneurial growers focused on quality and customer satisfaction, building industry leadership, and sustainable, profitable businesses.

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About NAVEX

NAVEX’s GRC software and compliance management solutions support the integrated risk, ESG and compliance management programs at more than 13,000 organizations worldwide.