Surf Internet: From Manual Investigations to a Scalable Speak-up Program

A manual process that could not scale

Before implementing NAVEX, Surf Internet relied on a fully manual approach to incident management. Employee concerns were raised through emails, chats, phone calls, or in-person conversations, and each investigation was documented across multiple files stored locally.

“I had a folder for every incident with separate files for interviews, notes, and the final resolution,” said Makries. “It worked, but it was not going to scale.”

As the organization grew, this approach made consistency harder to maintain and limited true anonymity for employees.

“Even if people trusted HR, at least one person still knew who made the complaint,” Makries explained. “For some employees, that’s still a barrier to speaking up.”

A centralized system built for growth

Surf Internet selected NAVEX One Whistleblowing & Incident Management for its ease of use, fast implementation, and ability to support anonymous reporting with two-way communication.

“We didn’t want a long, drawn-out implementation,” Makries said. “With NAVEX, we were up and running in a few weeks, not months.”

The NAVEX team worked closely with Surf Internet to tailor the rollout, including awareness materials and messaging that aligned with the company’s culture.

“It wasn’t just a cookie-cutter implementation,” said Makries. “We had flexibility in how we communicated the program and why it mattered.”

Streamlined workflows and consistent follow-through

Today, every concern at Surf Internet is tracked through the NAVEX One Whistleblowing & Incident Management solution, regardless of how it is initially reported.

“If something comes in through email, I still open a case so everything lives in one repository,” said Makries.

The platform’s structured workflow helps ensure investigations follow the same steps every time.

“All my notes are in one place, and I can go back and add to them as needed,” Makries explained. “It makes a complex process much easier to manage.”

Driving awareness from day one

Surf Internet actively promotes its ethics hotline starting with new hire orientation and reinforces awareness throughout the year.

“We talk about it on day one, include the posters in follow-up emails, and reference it regularly in meetings and newsletters,” Makries said.

That consistent visibility helps normalize speaking up and reinforces trust in the process.

“The fact that people feel comfortable raising even smaller concerns tells me the system is working,” Makries added.

A whistleblowing solution built to scale

With NAVEX One Whistleblowing & Incident Management in place, Surf Internet has replaced a manual, fragmented process with a centralized, scalable system that supports consistency, confidentiality, and employee trust.

“Our goal was to put something in place that works now and still works years from now,” said Makries. “This gives us that foundation.”

As the company continues to grow, Surf Internet is confident its incident management program can grow with it – without sacrificing the culture it has worked to build.