Whistleblower Intake for Third Parties

The challenge

Modern companies of all sizes depend on third parties to conduct crucial business operations. As a result, third parties represent a more substantial source of risk than ever before. The impact of this increased risk is well documented: a 2023 Gartner survey found a large majority of organizations have experienced operational disruptions due to a third-party risk miss. The capture of on-the ground reports of misconduct lays the foundation for the most effective governance, risk and compliance programs.

The solution

Increased reporting leads to reductions in overall risk and more positive business outcomes. In today’s regulatory landscape, making your ethics hotline available to all third parties who interact with your organization deepens the effectiveness and value of your incident management program.  

EthicsPoint centralizes these reports in a single database to better track incidents and outcomes. Your third parties should enjoy the same access to a reliable, available, flexible reporting system to deliver the outcomes that matter most to your organization.  

Empowering your third parties to report misconduct or submit inquiries serves to strengthen your GRC practice and reinforce your outward reputation as an ethical organization.

Process: Incident reporting for third parties

1. Collect reports of misconduct from third parties with direct relationships to your organization by giving them access to a secure, trusted incident reporting channel. 
2. Promote the availability of reporting channels to your third parties as part of their standard onboarding using customizable digital awareness materials. 
3. Manage all cases in a centralized database with the option to create custom report handling processes for third parties with tiering and workflow capabilities. 
4. Analyze and report on third-party incidents of misconduct to stakeholders across the business to identify and address problem areas. 
5. Act based on the information you gather from your incident management program: adjust third-party onboarding, implement a third-party risk management solution, and refine your policies to address shortcomings.